Twilight Rewrite Project
by Junes Blackrose
Summary: Bella Swann has reluctantly decided to move to Forks in the hope of escaping her perverted step-father. This is basically Twilight, but I reworded all of it, and did some character development. First story written, be brutally honest in your reviews.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: TWILIGHT (STORY AND CHARACTERS) IS THE PROPERTY OF STEPHENIE MEYER.**

_First off I'd like to explain why I started this project. Despite the fact that I throughly enjoyed Twilight, yes sparkles and all, I do not like Stephenie Meyer as an author. To me Twilight had so much  
>potential and it was just not fulfilled by her as a writer. I don't claim to have achieved a masterpiece in my re-write, but I was happy with what I came up with. I always loved LOVE stories. I think<br>people have become to cynical about love. An all consuming love like Bella and Edward's could exist, if portrayed a bit creepily by the author. One example being Queen Victoria's and Prince Albert's  
>love for each other, I mean the man took a bullet for her. I hope you enjoy my version of the tale, and find it enjoyable in it's own funny way.<br>_

_Please review as it's the only motivation for me to keep going with my project._

Preface

I'd never thought about death, let along my own. I valued my life. Yet death seemed to be thinking of me a lot lately. I was on its personal hit list. But even if I had been thinking of my own death I'd probably wouldn't have thought that I'd die like this.

The room was dark, but I could see my scared reflection in the mirrors. His face turned towards me, a small smile on his lips. Despite the numb feeling in my feet, I some how managed to walk forward. My brain kept screaming for me to turn back, but I couldn't. This wasn't about preserving my own life. I hoped that the fact that I had come here of my own free will to die for someone else negated the fact that it was, in a way, committing suicide. Would I be forgiven?

My mind focused on the day of my decision to move to Forks. It had been that decision that had landed me in this situation. Yet I didn't regret it, because it had been the best decision of my, now short, life. That decision had given me an opportunity many people only dreamt about, and I was not going to lament this end.

He stood, frustration -at my slowness- vibrated off his body. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply and I saw, even in the darkness, his blood red eyes narrow. Death checked off my name as I closed my eyes.

Chapter 1

First Sight

My mom drove slowly. It was obvious she still hoped I'd change my mind. She kept throwing glances at me from the corner of her eyes. I was a little worried that she wasn't paying enough attention to the road. She thought I had been replaced with a body snatcher, I could tell. In her opinion that would be the only reason for this decision now. It was hot, even for California weather. Not one single cloud in the sky. I sigh with longing knowing the town of Forks Washington wouldn't have brilliant sunny skies like these.

It rained constantly in that little town. It surprised me that it was still there, hidden behind the ferns. By now the rain should have washed it all away. That had always been my dearest hope. My mom knew this as well, that was the reason for her veiled glances. I hated Forks, and I made sure everyone knew that. She had barely managed to escape its clutches when she was sixteen, and she vowed she would never return. Of course then she found out she was pregnant with me and that put a bit of a wrench in her plans. She'd had to tell my dad.

In an effort to give me a "normal" life, they shared custody. My mom would send me to spend half the summer in Forks. Let's just say I never looked forward to those visits. I used to mark the days off on my calendar until I returned to California. My time was spent staring languidly at the sheeting rain through the small window of my bedroom.

But there comes a time when you realize you don't have to tolerate horrible, uncomfortable situations. My father and I mostly communicate by e-mail and through the phone now. Sometimes when he had money he came down for visits but he never stayed long. There were days I felt guilty that I hadn't tried harder to have more of a relationship with my dad. That's what I've been trying to sell my mom. I swallowed loudly as LAX loomed in the horizon.

"Mom, you've had me for so long," I told her. "Don't you think it's only fair that dad get to spent time with me too?"

I could see she was trying to find a way to change my mind. "I know its fair, but Forks?" She said the name as if it were a bad word. Her face screwed up in disgust. I couldn't hurt her feelings by telling her the real reason for my abrupt moving arrangements. My mom's new husband, whom I refuse to think of as my stepfather, gave me the creeps. I couldn't bear to be in the same room with him. Living in my house had become a nightmare for me. The day he cornered me outside my bedroom, and felt me up, I made up my mind to move. There was the hope that my mom would realize what a sick man Phil was, but I didn't really believe she would, as always she was far too in love to see anything but the fantasy man he portrayed. My mom always fell for the bad boy, never realizing how bad they were until it was too late. I wasn't going to let the "_too late" _be me.

My mom stared at me with that expression I loved. The one that made you believe everything would turn out great. It was her "No worries" expression. Her green eyes made me calm. They reflected her inner peace, which ricocheted towards me. It made my lie sound more convincing.

"This is going to be great."

She looked at my face, trying to detect the lie. She was pretty perceptive, when she wasn't head over heels in love. I hungrily scanned her face trying to commit it to memory. It would be a while until I saw her again.

"If you change your mind, Bella…" she began.

"I won't change my mind," I told her before she had time to finish her sentence. If it was between the rock and the hard place, Phil or Forks, I chose the hard place any day.

"Mom I swear you worry too much," I tried to sound unconcerned. She smiled and nodded softly. "I may not be the best but I am your mom and its-

"And it's your job to worry about me, blah, blah," I interrupted again.

She stared at me, a grin breaking across her youthful face. She pulled me close and ruffled my hair. Slinging my carry on over my shoulder I walked to the terminal that had been called through the loudspeaker. I glanced one last time at my mom and she caught me staring. She hugged me tightly as too fat tears escaped from her glassy eyes. Then she kissed both my cheeks and slapped my behind playfully. It was her version of "the push from the nest." My mom was letting me go. That simple act brought a lump to my throat.

"Catch a good one, honey!" she yelled as I handed the stewardess my ticket. Both my cheeks flamed, and the stewardess chuckled. Rolling my eyes, I walked the short way into the plane. It was more likely I'd get hit with lightning.

It wasn't until I buckled myself in that I finally felt how truly heavy my sacrifice was. I cursed Phil to the darkest corner of hell and I felt a bit of resentment towards my mom also for marrying him. Then I felt guilty for feeling that way, and finally I just put my face in my hands and sobbed for most of the flight. The stewardess kept checking on me, offering me pillows and drinks. When I had cried myself out I managed to fall asleep from exhaustion.

Charlie, my dad, had never quite understood my eagerness to move to Fork. I remembered the day I called him to beg that he let me live with him.

"Dad, I need to ask you a question?" I said. "I don't know if you'll want to do it."

"Just ask me Bella," he prompted.

"Can I move in with you?" I said in a rushed voice. "Can I move in with you, please?"

"Are you the Donkey from "Shrek" now?" he said chuckling. I attempted a laugh, hoping he couldn't hear the desperation behind it. "Why would you want to come live _here_?" he asked.

Me and my big mouth, if only I hadn't been so against Forks. Was this karma for not spending enough time with him? "I miss you, duh."

He didn't sound convinced. "When did this start happening?"

"Dad, what's with the twenty questions?" I snapped. I was starting to fear he was going to say no, and I hated suspense. If he wasn't going to let me move in then he should just say so. Rip off the band-aid quickly so the hurt would be done and over with.

He chuckled again. "Yeah, you can move in. You know I'd love to have you here with me."

The relief that swept through me was unbelievable. I had a way out, an exit. It wasn't the best option, but it was better than staying here. The voice in the back of my head told me that I shouldn't be running away, that I should stand up to Phil. But then my mom's smiling face would break through my thoughts and I silenced the voice immediately. This was my sacrifice for her.

When I stumbled off the plane, my father pulled me in for a bear hug and kissed my forehead. He didn't know how to interact with me, he simply considered me one of the guys. He was all football and baseball. The "manly stuff" as he puts it. I didn't want to remind him that girls liked those things too, because I wasn't one of them and he would probably sit me on the couch to endure an hour long game for lack of something better to do.

"So, how was your flight?" he asked as I pulled my seat belt around and strapped myself in.

"Long and tedious, glad it's over," I told him.

He laughed. My dad had a hearty laugh, deep and rough. I looked at him closely as he drove us home. His hair had gone gray and he had grown a mustache. He looked thinner and there were lines etched around his eyes. I wondered if those lines where due to his job or me. He worried about me, that wasn't a secret. He didn't exactly think my mom was the world's greatest parent. But could his concern over me make him age prematurely?

I contemplated telling my dad about Phil. A grin lit my features as I pictured Police Chief Swann breaking Phil's nose.

"You don't look miserable right now, what's gotten in to you?" he asked me confused.

"I'm just really happy to see you," I said.

He gave me a sidelong glance just like mom earlier. I had a feeling he was going to do that quite a lot in the coming days.

"Oh," he said after we had gone sometime without talking. "I almost forgot. I've got a car for you." He paused gauging my reaction.

I stared at him, not sure what was coming off my expression. I hoped it was mild curiosity but it felt more like shocked horror. My father wasn't the best judge of people and he was always bamboozled by a sly talking car salesman. He usually got stuck with lemons, hunkers that didn't go two miles without something dropping off.

"Okay?" I said.

"I know what you're thinking, but this one is good. I swear I got a good deal on it," he told me. "Besides you need a car, I can't be driving you all over in this." He gestured at the steering wheel of his cruiser. "Would you like that?"

He was right. Whatever it was I had to like it, because I was stuck in this town for a while. Despite my newfound acceptance I couldn't help but ask. "Who did you buy it from?"

"A friend," was his short response.

"A friend…" I prompted.

He sighed again. I could tell he wasn't happy about telling me this.

"Billy Black, from La Push," he grimaced.

My mouth hung open, I had seen Mr. Blacks Chevrolet and I hope my dad wasn't taking about that. It had been old ten years ago. The paint was faded and rusted. I could only imagine what it looked like now. I swallowed my pride, chocking on it on the way down.

"Thanks, dad," I managed to say.

For the duration of the ride, I just stared out the window. It was raining none stop. The clouds were thick and purple. Immediately I felt sick. But as I kept staring I had to admit, grudgingly, that Forks had it charms. One thing was for sure, everything was green. I was sure you could see Forks from space, just point at the green stain on the Olympic Peninsula.

My dad's house, now mine also, was like any other house in Forks. Small and weather beaten, the paint was peeling and it looked like the greenery was trying to swallow it up. And my "new" Chevy truck was parked right in front of it. I wanted to laugh hysterically but I kept composed. The more I stared at it the uglier it got.

"Yeah, it isn't a beauty, but it's sturdy Bella."

I nodded, and seeing it through my dad's eyes I started to like it. It wasn't beautiful as my dad had pointed out, but it was old world. It reminded me of the nineteen fifties, which I guessed was the age the thing was built. The paint was more faded than I remembered; it had a bulging cab and large round fenders. Rust spots corroded the metal, making it look like a square orange covered in dried ketchup.

"Actually, it isn't bad. I'm starting to see a real connection between me and her." I had now given the thing a gender. I was hopeless. My dad smiled hugely- obviously pleased I hadn't thrown his gift in his face. Did he think I would do that? Had I been that much of a monster, neglecting him the way I had?

I shuffled through the door laden by my small suitcase and my carry-on. The house was the same as it had been every time I'd come to visit. It had the same small beige couch, same coffee table, same everything as far as I could see. Not even the wall color seemed to have changed a bit. The newest thing in the house was the forty seven inch flat screen he had bought for watching the game with his buddies. The only real evidence that time had passed were the pictures on the fireplace mantle. They showed a girl growing up from tiny baby to gangly teenager. They revealed every embarrassing flaw of that phase, from no teeth to too big teeth, and every blemish I had received. It surprised me that instead of embarrassment I felt loved. It had been wrong to stay away for so long.

He showed me to my room, though I knew the way already. It was surprisingly undisturbed. It was as I had left it the last summer I came to visit. I noticed it was clean which made my stomach constrict in guilt. My mind recoiled from the fact that there was only one small bathroom that he and I would have to share. My mom had sent my laptop ahead to be set up here, an Internet receiver stood next to it. It was tucked in a corner of the small room, clearly dust free. As soon as the tour was over, my dad quickly made his way downstairs and occupied himself with a football game.

That was one of things I would most enjoy about living with my dad, that he would give me my space. It left me free to sulk. Instead I put away my bit of clothes and organized my school bag for tomorrow morning. I was nearly done when my cell phone ran. I stared at the screen, it read MOM.

"What's wrong mom?" I asked.

"Can't a mom call her daughter without something being wrong?" she asked back.

She was trying to distract me, "No."

"I miss you so much," she squealed.

"I miss you too."

"Bella, are you ready to come home now?" she asked. I didn't know if she was serious or not.

"Mom, quit that or I won't answer the phone anymore," I threatened.

She huffed in defeat. "How is Charlie?" she asked peacemaking.

"He's good," I said. "Say's hi," I lied.

"I really doubt that, but just in case say hi back."

I shook my head. They didn't hate each other but they didn't exactly look eye to eye either. I wondered what brought them together in the first place. In what circumstances was I conceived?

"I will," I said. "Mom I need to finish unpacking. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Oh, alright," she mumbled disappointed. "Love you."

"Love you back." I snapped the phone shut, and then turned it off. I didn't need her calling me every five minutes. My dad poked his head into the room at that exact moment. His eyes grew sad. "Tired of this place already, Bells," he said misinterpreting my wistful expression, he tried to smile but it looked wooden.

"No, dad," I said. "That was mom on the phone. She says hi."

"Really?" he asked as doubtfully as mom. "I guess I should have asked about her. How is old Renee?"

I laughed at the word "Old." I was sure my mom would have been bristling if she were here to hear that.

"She's good," I responded. "I miss her."

His expression turned suspicious. I could see what he was going to ask before he asked it.

"Bells, why did you…"

"Dad I hate to cut our chit chat short but I need to finish unpacking." I said pointing at my already empty suitcase. I didn't want to have this conversation right now, or ever.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess you're right. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth and all that." He passed his hand over his face as if to wipe away the suspicious expression. "I just wanted to ask if you were hungry. I made some pasta."

"No, thanks dad, I already ate on the plane." I made a show of rubbing my empty stomach. "I'm full."

He nodded and turned to leave, "if you change your mind it'll be downstairs." He closed the door behind him and I heard his heavy footsteps on the stairs. Alone, I could concentrate on the misery I was feeling. I could think of my day tomorrow, and how awkward it would be to be the stranger in a school of kids who grew up together. Not to mention that it was January, and therefore the middle of the semester.

What was worse, I didn't look like a Cali girl. I just didn't have the California glow, that suntan, sporty, "I'm a natural athlete" look. I had very fair skin, and living in California had done nothing to improve the color of it. In an attempt to put some color on my cheeks my mom had insisted we go down to the beach and suntan, I ended up with horrible sunburn while she looked like a bronze goddess. Also my hand-eye coordination sucked, I couldn't hit water if I fell out of a boat. That's why I avoided, dodge ball, basket ball, soccer, cheerleading and any other type of physical sport. My least favorite subject in school is… drum roll please, you guessed it P.E.!

After finishing my packing, I walked downstairs to the bathroom to put my shampoo and conditioner in the bathroom closet. As I passed the mirror I caught sight of my reflection and cringed mentally. I didn't know if it was Forks or just my present state of mind that made me look washed out. My brown eyes had lost they're usual shimmer. Even my brown hair slumped lifeless on my head. I stared silently at myself and a lump lodged in my throat. Closing my eyes, I wished that tomorrow wouldn't be as horrible as my imagination led me to believe. Hoping by some miracle that I would fit in, I would belong. For the first time I wanted to be a part of a group, to have friends.

"_Who am I kidding," _I thought. I didn't fit in anywhere, with anybody. Wanting there to be someone who liked Shakespeare plays, and memorized nineteen century novels was impossible, because aside from me, that person didn't exist, at least not within my age bracket.

After I had brushed my teeth I walked back to my room and jumped into bed. There I stared at the ceiling, letting the hours pass by. My already gloomy room grew darker and soon my eyes grew heavy and I fell into an uneasy sleep.

"Bells, you're going to be late for school!" my dad said, knocking loudly on my bedroom door. "Hurry up and you can have some breakfast!"

My eyes shot open. Jumping off the bed, I rushed to my dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. I grabbed my towel and my bath robe then ran to the bathroom for a quick shower. The warm water soothed my bones and dispelled the last vestiges of my sleepless night. I wrapped the towel around my head as I brushed my teeth.

The kitchen smelled of pancakes and maple syrup when I joined my dad at the table. He eyed my wet hair, "its cold outside Bells, you shouldn't walk out with wet hair. You'll catch a cold." I scoffed and pointed at the kitchen window with my fork. "I don't think it matters, dad." The weather had turned grizzly during the night and it had been raining none stop ever since.

He chuckled, "I suppose your right."

"Of course I am," I said looking down at my watch. "But you're right about my being late for school, I have to hustle." I stuffed a large piece of pancake and washed it down with milk. Running around to my dad, I placed a kiss on his forehead. "Wish me luck," I said with fake cheer.

"You won't need it. You're a natural, everyone will love you," he said. He heard me scoff as I walked to the hall closet and laughed. I pulled out my new coat and put it on, slung my shoulder bag then ran out the door.

The rain almost blinded me as I ran out of my house, pausing only to close the door behind me. I was starting to get a little worried I wouldn't be able to find my way to school. My father had given me pretty good directions but they wouldn't make a bit of difference if I couldn't see the road.

Luckily it wasn't hard to find. The school was a big, brick, one floor building, broken down into sections of different height. It had a large domed canopy made of what looked like green tinted plexiglass supported by long metal pillars. In front of the school was a sign with the words FORKS HIGH SCHOOL printed in bold gray letters, framed by multihued stones. I'd have to be stupid and blind not to miss it.

Relief poured through me as I noticed the parking lot was empty. My truck had not shut up since leaving my house and I didn't want to draw attention to myself. I passed a building with an administration sign printed in white on a glass door. There was a "No parking sign" in clear view, but today felt like a rule breaking kind a day, I might as well break this one. Pulling in slowly, hoping my truck wouldn't alert anyone about my criminal actions I rushed into the tiny building, trying-in vain- to not get wet.

The woman behind the counter smiled up at me. My eyes scanned my surroundings, not knowing what to expect. This room was small, and made ever smaller by the long counter which cut it in half. The walls were mint green, and there were cork boards every where cluttered with the schools notices and events. The carpet looked old, worn and moist.

"Hello, dear, how can I help you?" The woman asked. She was clearly wondering if I even belonged there.

"I'm new here," I said. "I really don't know where to go. I figured I'd ask."

She smiled brightly and her thick red glasses shifted up her broad face.

"What's your name?" She asked me.

"Isabella Swann," I responded.

The woman's eyes widened and she studied my face more closely. Subconsciously my fingers reached up to see if anything was stuck or dangling from it. She noticed and quickly looked away.

"Yes, Isabella Swann. Your father is really happy to have you home at last." She said this while she searched for something in her highly disorganized desk. "Ah, here it is. That one gave me a little trouble to find." She pulled a pack of papers out of a pile of other seemingly unrelated packs. I smiled indulgently at her.

"I'm Mrs. Cope by the way," she smiled back. "This is your schedule," she told me. Her hand brushed a loose strand of red hair off her face. "You can go straight from here to your first class. Just take a left here," she traced an invisible line around a square which had Administration printed inside it. Then she highlighted the route so that I wouldn't forget. She proceeded to do the rest of my classes in exactly the same way. When she finished my schedule looked like it had been scribbled on by a six year old with bright yellow marker. I couldn't tell which way to go anymore but something told me that asking Mrs. Cope to explain it all again wouldn't be the best idea. "Give this to all your teachers," she handed me a small slip of paper which read attendance. "Just bring it back to me at the end of the day."

"Thanks," I told her and nodded my head as if I understood her perfectly.

"Oh, you're very welcome dear and good luck." I nodded again not wanting to open my mouth for fear of what would have come out.

Once more I rushed back into the rain. The packet of information and my attendance slip clutched tightly to my chest. Grabbing the slippery handle of my car door I managed to pry it opened and toss my papers next to me. My stomach constricted as I noticed the parking lot had grown full with vehicles and kids. I breathed deeply and turned on my car, which burst into noise. Through my peripheral vision I saw some kids smirking at me and others pointing at my beat up pickup. It wasn't rational to be angry, they were right, but that's what usually happened when I was been mocked. My cheeks started to burn and my teeth bit the inside of my mouth. _Who were they to criticize my truck?_ It wasn't as if their cars were in any better condition, I noted. Staring about I could see the many cars parked around me and noted the same signs of distress in all of them, rust spot and dents. The only car that would be considered pretty was a shiny silver Volvo that must belong to a teacher or they kept staring at me as if my car was an oddity. This was just like California, they're stares reminded me of the stares of the Cali kids. It would only be a matter of time before I got a nickname. California kids had there favorites, Craza-Bella, Weirdo, That Austen Chick. The Forks kids should compare and then come up with a better one.

Despite my qualms about Mrs. Cope's dubious directions, Room three wasn't all that hard to find. I filed in next to two girls in matching bright pink raincoats.

The teacher was young, early thirties, with a naturally good natured face. I waited for him to notice me. "You must be my new student" he said smiling warmly. "I'm Mr. Mason."

"Bella" I said, handing him my slip to sign. He handed it back, his signature printed in bold letters on it and directed me to the back of the room. Thankfully he hadn't had the foresight to introduce me to everyone. I had a feeling this would be my best class. He then brought my text book, my assignment schedule and the reading list.

"Don't worry if you don't catch up right away," he said. "I'm not a tyrant, I understand."

"Thanks," I told him. I didn't want to point out that I had read every one of the books on the reading list at least twice already.

The class past by in a blur, I was day dreaming for most of it. As good natured as Mr. Mason was, he didn't hold my attention as some of my old English teachers had. His lecture was straight forward with no exciting twist or turns. Like a ride in an amusement park that only went round and round. The ring of the bell that signaled the end of class startled me.

I was packing up my new book in my bag when a boy with bad acne and black oily hair sauntered over to where I sat. I looked up, mystified at his sudden interest.

"Isabella Swann?" he asked.

"Bella" I corrected. In that instant, I could swear that every face in the class turned in my direction. Murmured voices began to be heard outside, but no one inside the classroom seemed in much of a hurry to join them.

Scrambling off my seat I headed for the door. The boy was next to me in a flash, keeping up with my hurried steps. My head was bent down scanning my map intently, I was afraid my next class wouldn't be as easy to find as this one.

"Government with Jefferson," he told me, as my finger skimmed over it. "I'm heading close to there."

My head snapped up and my eyes narrowed. He looked contrite, obviously understanding that staring over someone's shoulder was bad manners. I smiled, my lips widening slightly to let him know that I wasn't angry. He had offered his help and I wasn't about to start making enemies when I hadn't even made friends yet.

"Thanks," I said. "That would be a big help."

He stared at my map doubtfully, "Mrs. Cope is a nice woman, but she lacks common sense." I grinned with more enthusiasm.

"I'm Erick, Bella," he said extending his hand for me to shake.

"Nice to meet you," I shook his hand briefly. We fell into step with each other. Erick wasn't that much taller than me, I didn't have to power walk to keep up. The bad thing was he liked to talk, a lot. He kept up a slew of questions which range from the normal to the bizarre.

"So you're from sunny Cali?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, not wanting to elaborate.

"Being under a Cali sun should have given you a perma-tan, shouldn't it?" he asked.

"I had the Michael Jackson procedure done on me." My sense of humor didn't come across. He just stared at me with an "is she serious" expression on his spotty face. I would have thought that would deter him from asking any more questions but after a pause he just continued with as much enthusiasm as before.

As we neared the door of my classroom, he turned to me. "This is it," he said. "I saw some classes we'll have together later," he said. I simply nodded feeling weird, because I wasn't used to this type of attention. "See you later." He ran to his next class which didn't seem to be in anyway near this building. The rain had turned into a soft drizzle.

My whole day had gone mainly the same. People continued to be generous with their help and I was never lost when it came to getting to my classes. To my intense embarrassment Erick and I did have a couple of classes together. The weather apparently made sarcasm impossible because every time I'd attempt a joke people just looked at me strange. But they seemed nice on the whole. Girls my age wanted to walk with me and have conversations with me. My teachers weren't horrible, except Mr. Varner my Trigonometry teacher. His subject was my second least favorite and he was the only one who made me introduce myself, like a five year old in kindergarten. The embarrassment got the better of me; I tripped over my own feet and stuttered out my words. There was muffled laughter from my fellow classmates and pitying glances from my new friends.

I was dragged to lunch, arm in arm with a girl whose name I couldn't remember from my previous Trigonometry class. She asked her friends to make room for me at their lunch table. I then proceeded to make stilted conversation and stared down at my food. It was while I answered a particularly annoying question from a platinum blond with a puckered up expression, like a bull dog who had run head long into a wall several hundred times, that my eye strayed and I noticed the group of kids sitting alone. They were as far away from the other students as the room allowed.

Five faces who stared, not at each other, but in completely different directions. They're lips didn't move, they obviously weren't conversing, they weren't eating either, and unlike most of the kids in the cafeteria they weren't looking at me. Taking advantage of that fact I stared.

My eyes scanned each of the faces, taking in their features, each as or more beautiful than the next. There were three guys and two girls and they sat unmoving with a far away look as if lost in day-dreams. One of the guys was seriously brawny with curly brown hair. He had a slightly petulant look on his face like a misbehaving child. Another had honey blond chin length straight hair and a stoic expression, his brow was slightly furrowed, in frustration maybe. The last looked younger and much less muscled than the previous two, his hair was bronze-colored and dishevel, my eyes lingered on his face the longest. His boyish face was heartbreakingly beautiful. He looked sad and lonely and I felt an immediate familiarity with him.

Both girls were opposites in everyway. One was supermodel-like, with long waves of light blond hair. Her long legs were crossed under the table, as were her arms across her chest. She stared vapidly towards the doors that let out of the cafeteria. The other was tiny to an extreme with a tuft of black hair that extended in all directions, she sat ramrod straight except for her head which tilted at an angle. Her face was expressionless and her eyes, I noticed, were staring vacantly across the room.

As much as they were different, there were still obvious similarities and that's what made me stare. They're features were so perfect. They're straight noses and bow shaped lips, they're pallid complexions or the shadows under they're eyes, couldn't all be coincidence. Yet could they be related?

"She's noticed the Cullen's," whispered the puckered up blond in her nasty nasally voice. At that moment, before my eyes turned from them to the blond, his eyes looked up. My gaze fell down and I turned my head quickly in embarrassment. After a few minutes of indecision I hazard another look, staring at them over my shoulder. I was relieved he wasn't looking at me. Instead he stared down at his long fingered hands, his face set in an angry expression. The pixie girl wasn't looking away anymore, she was staring at him her eyes wide. Her small chest rose as if she had taken a deep breath then rising with her tray she rushed to the garbage can. As gracefully as a dancer she dumped her untouched food and walked out the double doors. My eyes returned to the table were the others sat as still as if nothing had happened.

"Bella?" asked the girl from my Trigonometry class. "Are you alright?"

I pried my eyes off the group unwillingly. "Yeah, just fine," I responded absently. I thought about asking her who they were, but I kept it to myself.

"The Cullen's," she answered my unspoken question. "He's looking at us," she whispered to the girl next to her. Mechanically I turned my head and sure enough his eyes focused on her. Then they turned to me, and his gaze pierced mine as if he were concentrating very hard.

The girl huffed sourly. "He has never really noticed anyone before," she told me.

"Who _are_ they?" I finally asked, my curiosity taking the better of me.

"Emmett and Edward Cullen, Jasper and Rosalie Hale," she told me. "There is another girl, a brunette but she's not there now." I supposed she meant the girl who had left earlier.

"Jessica," the blond girl called from across us, "do you want to go to the movies Saturday?" They stared to talk, and she forgot all about me instantly. My foot tapped impatiently, I was annoyed that she had left me with half a story. As soon as I was sure their conversation was at an end I asked her what that other girls name was.

"Alice Cullen," she told me.

"They're really…they look okay," I didn't want to make my sudden obsession too apparent.

"Ye-e-ah," she said, exaggerating the word. "They're HOT! Unfortunately they're a match set," she said sadly.

I tried to understand that statement, "A matched set?"

She rolled her eyes, "You know, _together_, Emmett and Rosalie and Alice and Jasper, that is."

"Oh," I said, finally understanding.

"The whopper is that they all live together," her eyes widened at the implication.

In a way I agreed with her. California may be filled with crazy characters but this particular situation would be strange even there, let alone here.

"Who is who?" I asked her changing the subject. I could tell she was getting annoyed by my everlasting questions, but I just couldn't stop.

"The blond is Rosalie, and the other blond is her brother Jasper. The big muscled guy is Emmett, and Edward is his brother, the one with the messy hair. Alice is they're sister." I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding when she made the distinction between Edward and Emmett. "Edward, Emmett and Alice aren't related, they're like, adopted or something. But Rosalie and Jasper _are_ blood siblings. They're the kids of a sister of Mrs. Cullen I think."

"And the red haired guy, Edward, isn't with anyone?" My question was mostly due to curiosity. How could a guy that good looking not be attached to an extremely lucky girl? But Jessica misunderstood completely, she stared at me warily. "No, but like I said he doesn't really notice anyone." It was a warning if ever I heard one. It clearly read "Don't even try, it isn't worth it." I ignored her probing eyes.

"How old are Mr. and Mrs. Cullen?" I asked.

"_Dr_. Cullen," she corrected. In my mind I pictured a wrinkled old man with white hair and glasses. Jessica continued talking, not noticing my brief inattention. "I don't know, really young," she said. "Late twenties, I believe."

My eyes widened, I questioned why people that young would take over raising other people's kids. "That's really nice, since they're so young and everything."

"Sure." Jessica said unimpressed. "Mrs. Cullen can't have kids though." _How did that make any difference?_ I thought. And how did she get so much information on them since they didn't appear at all sociable. To picture any of them conversing with Jessica like regular kids, telling her their life's story just didn't seem possible. Jessica seemed overly bitter about the whole situation. The rest of the lunch hour was spent on mindless conversation about guys and for friendship's sake I tried to join in, but I was quickly overwhelmed by all the names and details. Looking around me for a way out, I noticed the girl I sat next to whose name still escaped me. She had been immersed in a book for the whole Lunch hour and had supplied nothing to the mindless chattering.

It felt wrong to disturb her and I was about to forget it when she lifted her head up and shut her book in frustration. Her gaze rose to me as if she noticed me for the first time sitting next to her and smiled. She had a friendly face, and large benevolent brown eyes with stick straight hair of the same color.

"That must be a really good book," I told her.

She laughed, "I get too attached. The heroine always picks the guy I don't like."

I felt closer to her in that small conversation than to Jessica whom I had been talking with none stop.

"I'm Bella," I told her.

"Oh, I know," she said and blushed. "I'm Angela."

After a couple minutes of silence in which we tried to find something to talk about she asked, "How do you like Forks?"

"It's wet," I said simply.

She laughed again, and nodded. Finally, I sighed in relief, a person who didn't let the weather impact her sense of humor.

"I heard what you were asking Jessica. The Cullen's are interesting to say the least," she told me turning serious. "They're a bit scary though."

In a way I was happy that the conversation had turned to the Cullen's again. "I have never seen them in all my summers here. I can't understand how I could have missed them."

"They only moved here a couple of years ago. They used to live up in Alaska some where, Denali I think," she blushed again. "My moms a nurse in the hospital and she's a bit noisy," she explained. "They never talk to anyone and they make no friends. They prefer to stay together."

Again I felt that overwhelming sense of familiarity. Like me they were new to this town, the squares in a sea of circles. I wasn't the only anomaly and that made me relax a little. Involuntarily my head turned to their table again. My face fell as they all rose from their seat in unison and left the table together. Moments later the bell rang, making me jump half a mile out of my seat.

Angela touched my arm hesitantly. "What class do you have next?" She asked.

"Biology II," I told her.

She smiled widely, "I do too. I'll show you the way." I thanked her, ignoring her easy blushes.

The class was already crowded with students as we entered it. Angela squeezed my hand in encouragement, and then walked to her own table and sat next to her partner. I walked to the teacher and handed him my slip, he signed it without looking at it and handed me a book. His stubby finger pointed to the one empty seat in the center of the room and the color faded from my already pale face. Edward Cullen sat unmoving on the stool next to it. His eyes followed me as I made my way to him. Angela had been right, there really _was_ something extremely scary about Edward Cullen. As I drew near him I saw him stiffen slightly, his nostrils flared and his eyes grew round. When I took my seat, his stool moved silently away from mine. His hands balled up on the desk as if I had personally insulted him and he was barely controlling his anger. I was about to introduce myself and maybe even extend my hand when he threw me a menacing glance, one that told me to back off. His dark gaze made me eat my words and I averted his eyes by letting my hair cascade down to form a barrier between us.

Did I smell bad or something? I conspicuously smelled my shirt, trying to decipher the odor that had offended him. Peeking between my curtains of hair I caught sight of his black pitiless eyes. A strange chill ran down my back and my body shook involuntarily. _What's wrong with you, Bella Swann, _I thought to myself. I tried to pay attention to the teacher, but the whole time I was always aware that Edward Cullen was glaring at me.

I kept my head bent down over my notebook pretending to take notes. His pale hands remained clenched in fists, his pencil, his notebook and his open biology book lay forgotten in front of him.

Suddenly he bolted off his chair as if it had electrocuted him and swiping his arm across his side of the table he scooped his book, his notebook and pencil into his opened bag and almost ran out the door. Mr. Banner stared at him stupefied. Everyone else in the class had seized to move and was staring at our table opened mouthed. Seconds later the bell ran, startling me for the second time today, I glared at the stupid bell hatefully. Slowly, I packed my bag, making sure I didn't have time to run into sour face Edward Cullen as I walked to the Gym.

Just thinking about what was next made my hands clammy and my stomach tighten, making me forget Edward Cullen for a second. Back home I was considered a menace in my P.E. class. I had once sent a girl to the hospital with a broken nose when I tripped on the basket ball and slammed her into the wall. Not to mention my long list of P.E. related accidents that had sent me to the nurses' office, the principal had almost considered taking me out of the class altogether. Instead it was agreed that I could sit out of most of the activities, in the end the only thing I had to do was show up dressed in my Gym clothes and it would count towards my grade. That didn't make me very popular with the rest of the class who thought I was getting preferential treatment and was playing up my "disability" to get out of making a real effort.

"You're Isabella Swann?" I heard a voice ask directly behind me. Grimacing I turned to face a handsome blond with gelled up spiky hair and guileless blue eyes. He held out his hand to shake, smiling happily at me.

"Just Bella," I told him, shaking his hand timidly.

"Okay Just Bella," he joked. "I'm Mike Newton."

I knew the name well, because it had been repeated over and over at our lunch table. I smiled tightly.

"Where you heading?" he asked.

"Actually I'm heading over to the Gym," I told him miserably. He stared at me, then smile.

"Not a fan of P.E. I take it?" He assumed right.

"Not in the least, and you would understand why if you knew my history with the subject." He laughed at that. I began to understand why the girls at lunch had devoted so much time on Mike Newton, he was a likeable guy.

"I happen to have P.E. next also. I'll show you the way, if you don't mind," he looked extremely excited at the prospect of escorting me to the Gym. A couple of the girls gave me sour looks as he led me out of the classroom.

In that little space of time it took for us to get from the Biology Room to the Gym, I had learned a great deal about Mike Newton. He talked most of the way, not needing me to supply anything more than the occasional "yes" or "no."

He was originally from Tampa Bay, Florida. He had moved to Forks when he was eight. His parents moved here in order to start a business. They owned an outdoors supply store on the outskirts of town, which apparently got a lot of business from all the backpackers that ran through here. "It was a good business move," he admitted. I had a feeling he didn't like the rain too much either. "There aren't a lot of other stores like us around here and we get most of the business because we're the best equipped." He was right. Apparently he had only one sibling, a little sister named Jennifer who was five. His mom used to be a real estate saleswoman, and his dad an accountant. My brain was getting information overload. When the Gym building came into view I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm boring you," he said self-consciously.

"No," I managed to say before he launched into chatter mode again. "Cullen didn't seem very happy to have you as a partner?" he said. I blanched at the mention of his name.

"The guy next to me you mean?" I asked making believe I didn't know who he was.

"Yeah," he said, thrilled that I apparently didn't know his name yet. Did he expect me to know his life story by now? _Yet I kind of did_, I thought on reflection. How long had these people been the subject of speculation? I didn't blame them for wanting to stay apart. They were probably tired of answering stupid questions.

"Weird guy, that one," he said staring at me. "With such a pretty partner I'd be thrilled." I smiled, and we lapsed into silence the rest of the short way.

When we crossed the threshold of the Gym building, Mike greeted a couple of friends just inside the door who were waiting for the class to start. What I expected to see I really don't know. Everything in this town was so outdated. Instead I came into a semi modern room of moderate size, flanked by bleachers of dark mahogany on one side and two sets of doors on the other. There were hoops hanging on opposite walls of the Gym. Small windows rose high up the wall and the room was cast in a gloomy light, made ever gloomier by the swirling clouds outside. The teacher stood in the center of it all, her arms behind her back.

"Couch Clapp," Mike leaned in to whisper in my ear. I gulped loudly. Some thing told me that Couch Clapp wasn't the sympathetic type. She was muscle bound and mannish, with an oddly square jaw and short dyed blond hair. Her beady gray eyes shifted to me as I walked closer.

"My newest pupil," she said with relish. It sounded more like my newest victim. "I hope you're here to work hard, because that's what we do, right Newton?" She turned to Mike.

"See you later, Bella," he said and walked swiftly from me to the Boys locker room. Again I gulped loudly.

Couch Clapp walked into the Girls locker room and came back with a mustard yellow t-shirt in a medium size, and handed it to me.

"You don't have to dress down today," she told me. "But I do expect you to be ready tomorrow." I nodded and she smiled.

She then directed me to the bleachers were I had a clear view of how she did things. Everyone was far too distracted to pay attention to me, and that left me free to observe them. Today they were playing volleyball and they all seem to play extremely well. Tomorrow I would have to endure this torture. Mike waved at me from his position and was smacked in the head with a ball for his efforts. Couch Clapp yelled at him for his lack of attention. I felt terrible even thought it wasn't my fault.

By the time the class was over, my spirits had sunk to the soles of my feet. Not wanting Mike to regale me with more endless chatter I didn't wait for him to come out of the locker room. Instead I slipped out as soon as the bell rang.

The wind outside had developed into hurricane like gust. I draped my new P.E. shirt on my shoulder bag and fought my way to my truck. Once safely inside I started the engine and was about to pull out when I suddenly remembered the slip which had been signed by all my teachers. Hadn't Mrs. Cope told me to bring it back to her at the end of the day? I sighed and again pulled into the forbidden spot I had occupied this morning.

I was about to open the door, when I noticed the figure bent down speaking to Mrs. Cope. Edward Cullen was instantly recognizable by his unique coppery locks. His back was to me and completely unaware of my presence. I debated whether I should forget the slip altogether, I bet it wasn't anything new to not deliver it. Maybe I could pretend I forgot and give it to Mrs. Cope tomorrow. Unfortunately the decision was taken off my hands when a brunette with glasses walked around me and opened the door. The wind whipped into the small room and Edward Cullen swung around to pierce me with an antagonistic stare. The girl held the door open for me, and I thanked her. She placed a piece of paper on the desk then walked out again, unaware of the friction that had arisen in that tiny office.

"It's impossible then, I understand," he said in a warm buttery voice, not staring at Mrs. Cope. "Forget I ever mentioned it."

"One minute Edward…" Mrs. Cope began but before she finished Edward Cullen was out of the office. She stared after him confused.

"Do you want me to call him back," I said struck stupid by my own words.

"No, dear thanks," she said to my utter relief. "I just don't understand. He was in here for thirty minutes trying to convince me to change his Biology II class to another time. It seemed pretty necessary for him. I finally relent just as you walked in and he changes his mind. The fickle youth," she sighed and began to type something on the computer beside her. My hands became cold as ice and my body trembled slightly. He didn't want to share Biology with me, which would be the only possible reason for his wanting to change his class. _What was his deal?_ I asked myself.

Mrs. Cope took my attendance slip and tucked it in a file. "Thank you dear, you have no idea how many kids forget to hand these things in, makes my job a lot harder." If I had known sooner I wouldn't have even made the effort.

I nodded stiffly, and walked out into the gusting wind and wet. For once I didn't care that it was raining, the weather matched my mood. As I climbed into my truck and closed the door, the weight of my exhausting day came down on me. I curled on my seat, shivering. The town of Forks was miserable, I hated Edward Cullen and he hated me, my teachers were all as dull as bread and P.E. was going to be a personal hell. In my present state of mind I couldn't even see the good parts of the day, like Angela, Mike and Jessica, my new friends or the kind teachers like Mr. Mason. All I focused on were the negatives. I must have been a real witch with a capital B in a past life, to deserve this in this one. Should I heed my mom's words and return to California?

An even worse shiver of fear ran through me as I thought about what going back would mean. _This day isn't going to crumble me_, I thought._ I'm not going to let a bad day run me out of Forks._ I shifted my position on the seat and turned the engine on. I took a deep breath and held it in reconciling myself with the inevitable. This was my place now and I wasn't going to runaway, no matter what. Pulling out of the parking lot I headed _Home_.

_I think I shouldn't have stuck so closely to the story at times. But in my opinion if I hadn't it wouldn't be a rewrite. The other chapters are going to be a bit more different and deviate more from the  
>original, promise. About the things I did change: I gave Bella a real reason for her to leave her mother, and that was Phil. Also I believe that if you're going to give a character a personality flaw that<br>you should go all out, hence Renee, the high school drop out, pregnant at sixteen, complete clueless woman. Making her dad cook explains itself. Most importantly I had to change the end a bit. I  
>never thought that it was plausible for Edward to not smell her when she came in... I hope you enjoyed it and PLEASE REVIEW!<br>_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT. This story and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

Chapter Two

Open Book

That night I hardly slept, not only because of the rain but also because I kept thinking of Edward Cullen and his dark gaze. When I got up that morning I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be my best and I wasn't disappointed. The day started off as any day in the town of Forks, with heavy dark clouds circling overhead not allowing the rays of the sun to break through. Mike sat next to me in English, something that surprised me since I hadn't really noticed him there the day before. Unfortunately Erick sat on my other side and they glared at each other the whole time making it very uncomfortable for me.

As a consequence of my sleepless night my feet dragged, I wasn't my usual sharp self and things slipped through the cracks. Noticing this weakness Mr. Varner, my trigonometry teacher decided to make me an example. He called my name in his pointed voice and demanded the answer to a question I hadn't even heard. I stared stupidly for a couple of minutes, then had to admit that I hadn't been paying attention. He just turned his sour face from me and proceeded down the line to the next person. But I was sure I had gotten on some secret list of his for troublemakers. Yet the worst, it seemed, was still to come.

Lunch wasn't something I was looking forward to. Edward Cullen would be there and I was afraid of his dark gaze on me. Most of the night I argued whether or not to catch him before class and insist he tell me why he hated me so much. I was all prepared to bring down the hammer, deliver a large dose of humility to his puffed up ego. The only problem with that was that he wasn't there. Deep down inside I felt a sense of disappointment. I tried to convince myself that it was due to the fact that I had devoted so much time to worrying about today, going so far as to practice my speech in the mirror that morning. But the truth was that I wanted to see him again, as strange as that seemed. Apparently I was still optimistic that we could start over, maybe even become friends. There must have been some kind of misunderstanding I was sure of it.

His siblings sat at their table, looking uneasy without him there. The picture looked incomplete, different and empty. Rosalie, the blond looked angry and Emmett looked wary and sad. Jasper kept throwing glances at the brunette, Alice. She on the other hand stared in the same fashion as yesterday, her small head tilted at an angle, her eyes wide and expressionless.

I tried not to pay too much attention to them. Instead I concentrated on my new friends. Mike and Erick had decided to join us for Lunch today, something I was sure made Jessica and her friends very happy. Much of the time I talked to Angela who had started reading a new book after discarding the old one. It amused me to know that she had stopped reading it because she hated the main character.

"I couldn't take it anymore, he complained too much," she told me. I laughed at the look that got in her eyes, she became so passionate when she was talking about books it was hard to distinguish her as the sweet, mild tempered, shy girl she really was.

Despite my knowing already that Edward Cullen wasn't going to be in Biology today I couldn't stop my heart from swelling with hope just to be popped by the fact that his stool sat empty next to mine. I sighed deeply and headed for my seat. Mike caught up with me just as I sat down at my table taking Edwards spot. I couldn't help comparing the present occupant against the former. Mike looked slightly ridiculous in Edwards place.

"I was planning a trip down to First Beach in La Push, do you want to come?" he asked. He had been preaching about the trip so enthusiastically all through Lunch that I was starting to feel excited about it.

"Sure," I nodded. There were some qualms I still held about the weather, but other than that it didn't sound so bad. I voiced my concerns to Mike, and he assured me the day he'd pick out would be sunny. He smiled at me and I couldn't help smiling back.

"Mr. Newton, please go to your assigned seat," Mr. Banner rebuked.

"Whoops, got to go Bella," he said jumping off the stool and heading to his own partner, who sat waiting expectantly.

"Ms. Swann, since Mr. Cullen didn't seem fit to grace us with his presence, you will have to do this assignment on your own. Will that be a problem?" He asked. With a firm shake of my head I assured him I was capable of holding my own and the lesson commenced.

When the bell rang signaling the end of class, I was reminded that my day wasn't quite over yet. P.E. still loomed around the corner, and this time I wouldn't only be a spectator but a participant. Couch Clapp stood in the middle of the room with her arms behind her back like a jail warden. She greeted me happily when she saw me.

"Ready for P.E. Ms. Swann," she said.

Her cheeriness frightened me. How could she enjoy her job so much? It was criminal. I walked into the Girls locker room and quickly dressed down. My shoulders visibly slumped as I took my designated spot on the floor. Couch Clapp blew her whistle and began speaking about what was expected of us today. She warned us we would have team matches and so people scrambled to get partnered up with someone they liked. Mike sidled over to me and declared himself my teammate. I tried to talk him out of it, warning him that he was making a big mistake in paring up with me, he simply laughed. His other friends joined our group and my torture began.

My first time up to serve I hit a girl in the opposing team on the face with the ball. Then I fell on one of my own teammates as I tried to spike. Finally I managed to hit the ball but in the wrong direction smacking Mike in the head with it and almost knocking him unconscious. Thank heavens the bell rang before I could inflict any more damage. When I joined the rest of the girls in the locker room, I was aware I was the main topic of conversation.

"She almost killed Jackie, did you see," one of then whispered.

"My face is still stinging from the way she flung that ball at me," said the girl I'd hit. I didn't blame her for being angry, but it hurt me that they thought I'd done it on purpose.

"I'm never partnering with her again," replied Jackie the girl I'd almost trampled. "What does Mike see in her anyway?"

I manage to change out of my Gym clothes and into my t-shirt and Jeans in a record setting five minutes. Mike hadn't come up from the Boys locker room; perhaps he was still a little dazed from almost getting his skull smashed in. It was better he weren't out yet. He would probably act all noble and try to blame himself for the accident, when it was clearly my fault. Besides I was too embarrassed to face him just yet. As I reached my car I sighed in relief glad no one I knew had stopped to talk to me. I turned the key of my Chevy and the engine snarled to life. As I carefully eased out of my parking spot I noticed the group slipping into the shiny silver Volvo. _The Cullen's, of course_, I thought shaking my head. _Life just wasn't fair._

Out of the confines of the school parking lot, I hit the gas. I laughed uncontrollably the whole way home, glad to be away from the Inferno known as Forks High School.

The smell of steak and potatoes reached my nose as I walked into the house. My dad was sitting in the living room watching a football game. It confused me to see my dad, the beer chugging, football addict, together with my dad the houseman, and chef. But should it have surprised me that much that my dad could take care of himself? He had dated, one girl even moved in with him at one point, but they never stuck around. He told me once that he had never found the one he was sure he could spend the rest of his life with. Some times I felt like he was waiting for mom to reconsider and come back into his life. Placing my school bag on the couch next to him I leaned in and kissed his forehead.

"Some thing smells good," I told him, sniffing appreciatively.

"Steak and potatoes," he told me. "I got it off a recipe in a magazine."

"Since when do you read magazines?" I asked.

He ignored my question and asked one of his own to change the subject. "How was school?" My face fell and noticing my change of expression he added, "That bad?"

"I don't want to talk about it," I said slumping next to him. He draped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me in to kiss the top of my head.

"It'll get better," he said reassuringly. Pursing my lips in doubt I nodded softly.

"That reminds me," he said pulling away from me and staring down at my face. "You're mother called me, said you haven't answered your phone or replied to her messages and she was getting worried."

I rolled my eyes, and pushed myself off the couch unwillingly. "I'll call her now so she won't worry about me anymore."

Running up the stairs at top speed I got to my room and closed the door behind me. My cell phone was on the night table next to my ancient alarm clock. When I picked it up the screen read five missed messages. What was the reason for her urgency? _Maybe Phil had been caught in a forest fire,_ I thought evilly. I flipped the phone open to retrieve them.

"_Bella," _said my mother's clear girly voice. "_Why did you turn off your phone? I didn't mean that thing about you coming home. Okay I'm lying, I'm sure you can tell. Don't avoid my calls, I promise I won't mention it again."_ She hung up and I turned to the next call, which was made at nine o'clock that same night.

_You're still not answering, she said. Maybe you're asleep. It is pretty late. I'm proud of you for going to bed early, tell Charlie I instilled that in you, "the whole early to bed early to raise thing." _She chuckled at her own version of a joke. _By the way I had this blouse I wanted to wear and I can't find it anywhere. Did you take it? I won't be mad, promise. But it's been driving me crazy. _The message ended but I didn't want to continue hearing more. Unenthusiastically I opened another.

_All right Bella, I can see you are mad at me. Why else would you shut me out like this? I'm deeply hurt that you would treat me in this way. I'll call you later, _she huffed, _maybe then you'd have your phone turned on and we could actually have a conversation…_I skipped this one and went to the next one.

_Bella honey, _this one sounded worried. _You never stay mad this long? Is something wrong? Are you in the hospital or dead? _I heard her chastise herself. _I'm calling Charlie, and he better tell me what's wrong…_ Again I skipped it before my mother threatened to kill my father through the phone.

I deleted the last message not being in the mood to hear her say she was coming down in person, and giving me an escort back to California. Then I dialed her number. It ran three times before it went to voice mail.

_Hey, this is Renee. Leave your message and I'll get back to you. _

"Mom I'm fine, just tired. Stop calling me so much I have stuff to do. Charlie already enrolled me in school. I know he doesn't waste time, huh. People are great," I said stretching the truth. "School is fun, I'm having a blast," this was an outward lie. "You lent your blouse to Lucy the next door neighbor, remember? I got to go, dad cooked this great meal of Steak and Potatoes and I'm letting my share get cold. Love you very much. I'll call you this weekend, Bye."

I ran back downstairs just as my dad took the steaks out of the oven. He set one on a plate, placed a foil wrapped potato next to it, and handed the plate to me.

"I was just about to call you. Is Renee okay? She sounded pretty worried this morning," he said a note of amusement in his voice.

"Like you don't know," I told him. He smiled and I shook my head. "What did she tell you?"

"She said I was keeping something from her and that if I didn't tell her she was going to," he paused looking uncomfortable. "Do something very unpleasant to me."

Darn I shouldn't have skipped the message before I got to the good part. My mother was a lot less reticent about my sensitive ears than my dad. It was probably in the message she left me. I'd have to check it again.

We sat down to eat and I dug into my steak with vigor. He stared as I powered through dinner, and laughed.

"Either you are so hungry that you can't chew like a normal person, or you want to leave quickly so you don't have to see my face anymore, which one is it?" He looked at me, his fork half raised to his mouth.

"I'm starving," I said through bites. "I didn't eat a lot during lunch hour." I cringed regretting that remark instantly.

"Yeah, you kind of blew me off when I asked you about how it went today in school. What happened?"

"Nothing serious, I'm just no good at the physical stuff," I told him.

He nodded understanding. "You got that from your mother. You should have seen her in P.E. she almost killed the couch with a dodge ball." He smiled, lost in his memories. "You mentioned last night that you had made some friends, so it couldn't have been all bad. Did they ditch you or something?" He asked staring down at his food.

"No, they're still there, but whether or not Mike is in school tomorrow and talking to me remains to be seen." He stared at me curiously as he chewed a piece of steak. He took a drink of his beer to wash down the meat.

"What did you do to Mike Newton?" he asked.

Wincing I said, "I almost laid him out with a volleyball." My dad's cheeks turned red as he choked on his dinner. I ran around to pat him on the back but he had already gained his breath and was in silent tears of laughter.

"Yeah, so funny," I said sarcastically.

"Oh, I'm sorry honey-" he stopped as another wave of delight rocked his frame. I gathered my plate and his, although I was sure he wasn't finished, and dumped the remainder of it in the garbage. He hadn't composed himself enough to argue with me about wasting good food. I went to the sink and began doing the dishes, ignoring him as he tried to make amends. He quickly gave up, deciding to let my anger subside before attempting to apologize again. He knew that I had an easy temper and that it just as quickly deflated, like a fire with no fuel burned itself out.

When I finished with the dishes I walked into the living room, with every intension of stomping my way up the stairs, even though I wasn't angry anymore. But my dad called me over to him.

"I'm sorry Bella, I shouldn't have laughed," he said.

"It's okay, I overreacted,"

"You shouldn't throw good food away like that," he said amused. I rolled my eyes and buried myself deeper into the couch.

"Anything else happen in school that warrant's my attention?" He asked.

"Not really, it…" but then I remembered there was something I wanted to know. "Dad, these new people that just moved here, The Cullen's, do you know them?"

"I do," he said warily. "What about them?"

"Nothing, it's just that they're not very friendly, and people in school are always spreading rumors about them."

My dads face turned purple, "I'm surprised you'd believe anything people are saying about them. Aren't you a 'get to know them before you judge' kind of girl?" I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"I'm not judging…" I began but my dad's next words silence me.

"The things that are said about those poor people make me sick. No calls in the middle of the night because they're out partying, no beer related accidents, no trouble at all," he said counting off his fingers. "You'd think the people in this town would be happy to have such good neighbors. And Dr. Cullen is such an asset to our little backwater hospital. Don't believe everything you hear, Bella."

"You're right dad. And they're all so good looking," I said without thinking. My dad turned his head sharply to look down at me, a cheeky smile slowly spreading across his face.

"You're not exaggerating there," he said. "I got a glimpse of Mrs. Cullen one day, down at the town square. That woman could be a super model, if only we could all be so lucky." He elbowed me suggestively.

"I better get started on my homework," I said quickly. Leaping off the couch I started for the stairs. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here talking with me about beautiful women," he said. My face scrunched up in disgust.

"That's one conversation I'm willing to skip!" I yelled, covering my ears and taking the steps two at a time.

Exhausted from my horrid day and the continued battering of my head against my Trigonometry book I fell into a deep and undisturbed sleep.

The rest of the week was less of a drama. My classes became routine, P.E. was still a hazard, the class had to be obligated by Couch Clapp to pair up with me and Trigonometry a challenge, but other than that the days passed me by in a blur. I had managed to memorize almost every face and name of every student, which made keeping up with Jessica and her friends a lot easier. And Edward Cullen remained ever absent, even Mr. Banner acted as if I never had a partner to begin with. At the beginning I searched for him but soon the curiosity behind his sudden disappearance began to fade. His dark eyes stopped haunting me at all hours and I managed to concentrate on my dull, new life in Forks.

Mike's plans for a trip down to First Beach were still under construction, but I was looking forward to it. More out of boredom than real excitement, I was curious to know what Forks kids did for fun.

My weekend was more depressing than relaxing. The sleepless nights were stacking up and even my dad was starting to notice the circles that had formed under my eyes. For lack of something better to do, I cleaned my room and finished off all my homework early. Then I called my mother and depicted my first week of school in detail, minus a couple of minute facts, she comforted me as best she could. After the phone call I pulled out several books to read but couldn't really get into them. Instead I rode down to the local library for a fresh supply of literature, just to be disappointed by the lack of selection. The thought of going down to Seattle or Olympia for a good bookstore crossed my mind, but then I thought of my ancient truck and how that simple trip could cause it to go up to garage heaven. There was no way I could afford a mechanic if it were to break down.

I was glad to head back to school on Monday. At least it was something different from the same four walls of my house. Mike sat next to me in English class, with Erick on my other side, which had become habitual. It wasn't completely miserable I had to admit. We had a pop quiz on_ Catcher in the Rye,_ a book I knew by heart, which I aced. By the way Mike kept chewing on his pencil he hadn't faired as well. I asked him about it as soon as the bell ran.

"That book was confusing," he told me angrily. Erick step over to us, his face screwed up in a worried expression. "I'll catch up with you guys later, okay," he said.

"Yeah, that's fine man," said Mike, for once not attempting a joke at Erick's expense. He could see Erick wouldn't have appreciated it.

"Are you alright?" I asked concerned.

"It's fine. I just have to work something out with Mr. Mason," he said attempting to smile.

Reluctantly Mike and I left Erick behind and headed over to my next class. Little bits of cotton kept blowing in my face and I batted at them with my gloved hands.

"What are you doing?" asked Mike.

"Somebody's pillow exploded," I told him. He started to cough heavily, what I had said made him choke on his spit.

"You've never seen snow?" he asked when he had composed himself.

"This is snow?" I asked shocked. "It doesn't look anything like the stuff they show on TV."

He put his arm around my shoulder in a friendly way. "My friend you haven't seen anything yet. This is the first snow of the New Year and if this keeps on there's going to be a major battle after school. They said it's going to be a hell of a blizzard." The idea of a snowball battle horrified me. "I watched the news yesterday. I've been checking the weather, you know for my plans to go to La Push, and this ones going to be bad." He grinned hugely and happily.

_Since when is _bad, _a good thing?_ I wondered. This epic snow battle wasn't my idea of fun. But Mike had been right about the snow, it had started to pick up as we got to class. It continued getting worse little by little during the day, and it appeared as if the battle would be taking place after all. I would have to duck and cover until it was over or risk getting cornered by my many gym class enemies.

As I entered Trigonometry the snow had reached almost five inches and seemed to be going strong. The students in the class seemed more interested in the falling flakes than in Mr. Varner. He didn't seem too pleased at the lack of attention.

"People, please," he said as he lowered the blinds on the windows, one after another. "The snow isn't going anywhere." I was sure he would explode any second. After trying in vain to get an answer out of Katie Marshall, he slammed his fist on his desk and bellowed that we were all to complete chapter seven of our Trigonometry books for homework as a punishment. People groaned miserably as the bell rang. Jessica walked next to me to the Cafeteria, complaining about Mr. Varner's unfairness the whole time.

"Can you believe it," she said. "I haven't even finished the last batch of huge homework he gave us. There must be someone I could complain to about that man." We battled our way past the students who had decided to start the snow brawl early. All the snowballs that were no doubt intended for me seemed to land on Jessica. The snipers were having a hard time pining me down. One particularly fat snowball smacked the back of her head and I heard her curse out loud. Mike opened the door of the cafeteria as if he were the rescue team, ushering us in. It was clear he had been in on the mayhem outside because his golden do' was saturated with melting snow.

As I did customarily, my eyes swept the length of the cafeteria, expecting to see the four Cullen's sitting in their usual seats. My feet screeched to a halt and my stomach hit the soles of my shoes as I counted five heads instead of four. Mike and Jessica stopped on either side of me.

"Bella?" asked Mike concerned. "Are you alright?"

"She looks green," whispered Jessica to him. They both followed my gaze towards the Cullen table.

"Hey, Edward Cullen is back," said Jessica clueless.

"Great," Mike mumbled under his breath.

They each took one arm and dragged me to the table. Angela ran into the lunch line and brought me back a soda.

"Here," she said opening it for me. "This should make you feel better."

I took a small sip, letting the bubbles run down my throat. The soft drink managed to revive me. "I'm okay," I said trying to appease their worried faces. Mike looked unconvinced.

"You're still green, Bella," he said.

"She's fine," Angela repeated. Mike turned away from me and began talking to Erick who looked a lot better than this morning.

My gaze rose to peer at the Cullen table again, hoping my eyes had deceived me. _Please, please, let it be a mistake, _I pleaded silently. His eyes met mine from across the room, as if to prove that he wasn't a figment of my imagination. I quickly lowered my gaze and averted my face.

Angela patted my hand soothingly. "I have Spanish with him first period. Trust me it was as much a shock for me as it is for you." Angela could read all the anxiety on my face.

"He really doesn't like me," I told her.

"You're not the first person to say that," she told me. "Why do you think he was the only person in Biology without a partner?"

"No Angela, you really don't understand. He hates me." She shrugged helpless and stared pityingly at me without saying a word.

When I was sure enough time had elapsed that he would be occupied with someone else I ventured another look. He was still just as beautiful as always, his hair was covered in melted snow and shined slightly, his flawless skin looked less pale and the shadows under his eyes much less pronounced. His chin rested on his long steeple fingers and his face was set gravely. The knot in my stomach tightened as I pictured his menacing stare when I entered the Biology building. _Should I runaway?_ I thought. _Should I skip Biology?_

I knew what my mother would say if she were here. "_Show him that you're in no way bothered by his presence. Make him feel like an ass for not liking you."_ I resolved to go to Biology and act like he didn't exist. Folding my arms around my head I waited for lunch hour to be over. The bell ran just as my courage wavered. Angela lifted me up and pulled me along beside her.

Taking a deep steadying breath I walked to my usual seat, the one next to me was still empty. A bud of hope bloomed in my chest, followed by a surge of disappointment. _Maybe he wouldn't show, _I thought. Keeping my eyes lowered I doodle on my notebook waiting for class to begin. Operation ignore Edward Cullen had begun.

"Hello," said a soft, smooth voice next to me. I jumped in alarm despite his muted pitch. My usually sharp ears hadn't heard him approach.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

I raised my face and my eyes caught the full impact of his features. My plans to ignore him completely evaporated into air.

"I'm Edward Cullen," he said with a small smile on his lips. "I was very rude last week, I apologize. You're Bella, am I correct?"

"Yes, I am," I said dazedly. I didn't even question how he knew my name. Mr. Banner walked to our table and placed a microscope and a box of slides in front of me.

"Good afternoon Mr. Banner," said Edward in his melodic voice, making the teacher aware of his presence.

Mr. Banner did a double take. "Well, Mr. Cullen it's nice to have _you_ with us today. We have missed you." In other words were the hell have you been.

"Unfortunately I had some personal problems that had to be dealt with. I'm sorry if these have inconvenienced Bella. I know how uncomfortable it is to be without a partner." Mr. Banner nodded and then walked to his desk without another word to Edward.

"You have in front of you a microscope and a box of slides, ladies and gentlemen," said Mr. Banner addressing the class. "I would like you to separate them into the phases of mitosis. And no using you're books, understood." He eyed Mike dubiously. "Angela, please pass the work sheets around to everyone." When he was sure everyone had gotten a worksheet he bellowed, "Get started!"

"Would you like to begin?" said Edward waving his hand towards the instruments in front of me.

The oxygen still hadn't reached my brain and I simply stared at him stupidly. It wasn't until he began reaching for the microscope that I finally managed to regain control of my senses. "No, I'll start." He withdrew his hands back to his side of the desk.

Back in California I had done this lab before and so knew exactly what to look for. I gave the slide a cursory look, "prophase," I pronounced confidently.

"May I have a look?" he asked. Nodding I passed the microscope over to him. He gave it as swift a glance as I had and then looked at me curiously, "prophase."

"You seem surprised that I was right," I said to him.

"I am," he responded unabashed. My lips twitched at the insult as my temper rose.

He switched the present slide for another and gave it another swift look, "anaphase," he said lifting his pencil to jot it down.

"Hold it," I said reaching my hand out to stop his from writing it on our sheet. He pulled his hand away quickly and looked over at me shocked. For the brief second my fingertips touched his skin, an electric current shot through them as if I had put my finger in a socket hole.

"Sorry," I said embarrassed drawing my hand back swiftly.

"It's alright," he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Can I just…" I said pointing at the microscope. He slid it toward me half way and then retreated back on his side. I pulled it the rest of the way to me.

"Anaphase," I repeated uncomfortable.

"Yes, I know," he said piercing me with his golden eyes… golden eyes?

I stared more intently at his face. _Didn't he have black eyes? Yes, I was sure of it._

We continued to battle with our slides, each not trusting the others assumption. All the while I stared at his strange colored eyes, thinking maybe he had gotten contacts. Even with our battle of the slides we were done with our assignment minutes before the rest of the class. I twiddle my thumbs and tried not to peer over at him, but my eyes didn't want to obey my brain. He looked away when my face turned to his and I caught that same look of frustration as last week clouding his features.

"You got contacts?" I said tactlessly.

"No," he said averting his eyes.

"I don't mean to pry, it's just that the last time I saw you they were as black as coal."

"I didn't," he repeated irked still shielding his face from my scrutiny.

"Ms. Swann, Mr. Cullen, cut the chit chat and get to work?" Mr. Banner reprimanded.

"Bella and I are done," Edward said to Mr. Banner.

"It's that so," Mr. Banner said. "We shall see." He walked to our table and picked up the sheet, staring at it intently.

"Ms. Swann I'm surprised you let Mr. Cullen complete all the work," he said. I bit the inside of my cheek in anger.

"Bella recognized three out of five by herself Mr. Banner," Edward corrected. I stared at him flabbergast.

"Yes, I did," I told Mr. Banner when I had found my voice.

"I see. Well, it's good you're partners I guess." He retreated back to his seat without a backward glance.

I began doodling on my notebook again. "That's sad," I heard Edward say.

"Excuse me?"

"The weather," he said pointing to the windows. My mouth fell open as the snow that had been falling steadily all day was replaced by a torrent of rain. The water washed away the accumulation slowly. After my initial shock wore off my face split into a joyful grin.

"No battle of the blizzard," I whispered under my breath in relief. Edward stared at me, mystified.

"You don't like the snow," he assumed.

"Or the rain," I said pointing at the rivets of water falling on the window. "But if I had to choose between the two, rain would be choice number one." The rest of the class was yet too immersed in their assignment to notice the change in weather, but I was sure it would be a disappointment.

"Do you realize you moved to the wettest state in the Continental U.S.?" he asked.

"Unfortunately," I said miserably.

"Why did you, if you hate it so much?" he asked probing.

I was about to tell him to mind his own business but when I looked up my brain went blank as my eyes got caught in the spell of his.

"I… My-my mother got married, to someone who isn't my father," I said honestly, my face scrunched up in disgust as I thought of Phil.

"By the look on your face I say you don't like the man very much."

"I really don't," I told him.

"Yet, now you're unhappy. Why don't you tell your mother how you feel and move back with her?" There was a note of desperation in his smooth voice, as if he were trying to convince me to leave Forks.

"That would break my mother's heart, she really loves Phil," I told him. "I could never make her suffer."

"Instead you make _yourself_ suffer," he told me.

Mr. Banner walked around to each table to collect the work sheet. I waited until he had collected ours and moved far enough away to continue our conversation.

"How do you know I'm suffering?" I said annoyed.

"I am very good at reading faces," he told me.

"Life isn't fair," I said harshly taking out my frustration on him.

"Trust me I know," he muttered darkly.

The teacher turned off the lights and turned on an old projector, he began turning the slides and explaining the differences Edward and I had no trouble seeing. I hardly paid attention, I wasn't happy about the fact that a total stranger had guessed the very things I had gone out of my way to keep hidden.

"Why do you even care?" My patience had reached its limit and I was seething. The pencil vibrated in my clenched hand.

"I really don't know," he said quietly then became silent and ignored me until the bell ran. Before I had time to shut my book he jumped up and just as last week catapulted out the door. All I could do was stare after him open mouthed.

Mike walked over to me, as he usually did and we walked to P.E. together. He was strangely quiet, not like Mike at all.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He shook his head and remained quiet. "Mike, this quiet act isn't like you. Tell me what's wrong."

"Are you and Cullen buddy-buddy now," he told me not meeting my gaze. The look on his face told me he was upset about it.

I scowled, "You care because?" Mike and I had been good friends since my first day but I never imagined that maybe friendship wasn't the only thing on his mind. I sighed deeply, I wasn't going to loose my friend to something this stupid.

"He was annoying as hell," I told him and watched the relief spread over his face. He smiled and began chattering about the rain and how disappointed he was that the epic snowball fight wasn't going to be possible.

P.E. wasn't as bad today. The rest of the class mostly ignored me, and never passed me the ball. When the other team wanted to score an easy point they endeavored to take advantage of my handicap but Mike was always there to thwart their attempts. His skills at sports were enough to balance my incompetence. In the end we managed to win a game, in no way due to me. My team was so ecstatic that our bad blood was forgotten in the wave of victory.

It was hardly raining when Mike and I walked out of the Gym. He ruffled my hair slightly as a goodbye, and turned to find his car. I walked over to mine and dug in my school bag for my keys. The hair in the back of my neck stood on end and I had a sudden suspicion someone was staring at me. I turned my head slightly to the left to see Edward Cullen next to the Volvo, peering at me. My hands fumbled as I tried to open my car door. This was my cue to make a hasty escape. I jumped in my truck and dug my keys in the ignition at the same time. The thunderous noise of my truck calmed me. I quickly pulled out of my spot, ignoring Edward Cullen who was still staring at me. I wasn't paying as close enough attention to the traffic as I should and as I backed a rusty Toyota Corolla rushed pass me missing my truck bed by inches. My foot slammed on the breaks and my cheeks flamed. I threw a swift glance at Edward Cullen, just to see him lean back with a smile on his face. When I passed him and his Volvo I could almost swear I saw his body rock with silent laughter.

_Please review, whether you like or not. Your comments keep me going, thanks. _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Phenomenon

That morning, when I awoke, I noted something different. It wasn't the dull gray darkness I was used to. Somehow the light that came in through the glass was brighter. I pushed my blanket aside and hurried over to my window. To my surprise the fog that usually obscured my view was absent. I would have preferred the fog. Instead the clear view allowed me to see the danger that awaited me outside.

Apparently it had begun to snow again during the night, and it left a slight coat over the cars and on the needles of the pine trees. But that wasn't the worst part. Under the coating of snow lay a foundation of solid ice. This also hung from window sills like razor points and made the roads a death trap. "You've got to be kidding me," I groaned, debating whether or not I should crawl back into bed.

My father was gone by the time I got downstairs. According to the note he had left for me on the fridge door, there had been an emergency and he was needed at work to sort it out. On a day like today I had no doubts it would very busy. He advised me to be careful driving to school and let me know that he had put snow tires on the pick up. My throat tightened with emotion at the thought of my father getting up extra early just for me. My dad was a good guy, and I was sorry my parent's relationship hadn't worked out. He was the type of man I had wanted my mom to end up with. I dressed quickly in my warmest clothing, deciding to leave early so as not to rush down Main Street leaving death in my wake. Chugging down my breakfast, I headed out the door.

A sheet of ice greeted me in front of my house. Maneuvering from the front steps to my truck was a feat I wasn't sure, in the present circumstances, I could accomplish. Slowly I descended the steps, and then did a combination waddling and skating until I reached my car. Anyone watching would have busted a seam from seeing me.

The weird thing was that despite all the horrors that awaited me I was looking forward to school. Unfortunately my interest was for all the wrong reasons. There was something dark about Edward Cullen, something that made the hair in the back of my neck stand on end when he looked at me. But that same energy that wanted to repel me drew me to him the more. Secretly I was fascinated with the air of mystery that surrounded him and his family.

My rational part told me that I should be avoiding him, just like everyone else seemed to do. Yet that long suppressed irrational side refused to cooperate. He had the strangest mood swings, cold-shouldered stranger one minute, sweet pleasant guy the next. And still there was that small question of his changing eye color. Was he lying about getting contacts? And if so why would he lie?

Starting out early had allowed me to take my time getting to school. Thanks to my fathers thoughtfulness my truck traversed over the ice with little problem. I'd have to buy him something really good for his birthday as thanks.

The parking lot at school was just as icy as the roads. Rock salt was scattered around, but was clearly not doing its job. The though of having to display my little ice navigating dance in front of the whole school made me want to cry. I opened the car door slowly and held on to it while I made my way out. Slowly I shuffled forward always being careful not to take my hands off the pickup. When I made it to the bed I stopped to examine the thin chains that zigzagged across my tires. As I stood there paralyzed by my father's show of affection, I heard a loud screeching noise that was getting ever louder and was starting to hurt my ears.

My head snapped up, but instead of looking towards the source of the noise, like a normal person would do, I focused on Edward Cullen who stared at me in horror from across the lot. It was only when the screeching was almost upon me that I managed to pry my eyes away from him and look at the blue van that skidded in my direction, waiting to flatten me against the side of my truck. I shut my eyes tight, hoping it wouldn't hurt too much when it finally collided with me. Suddenly I was airborne as something lifted me off the ground, I felt my head hit something solid. Seconds later I was lying on the icy blacktop of the parking lot, beside the beat up tan Honda I had parked next to, Edward Cullen right beside me. The blue van was on its side mere inches away from me and Edward's hand was imprinted on its top as if he had pushed with enough force to cause a dent.

It was a minute before I heard the voices that yelled my name. It started as a sort of murmur and grew louder as my ears adjusted. "Fuck," Edward cursed right above my left ear, but held on to my waist possessively. Even in the current situation I didn't want him to let me go.

"Are you alright, Bella?" he asked softly. His cool breath tickled my cheek and sent shivers down my back. Not being able to use my voice yet I only nodded. A headache had begun to pound my temples and the noise wasn't helping the situation. He placed his cheek on my head and the strangely cool skin made me feel better.

"You hit your head on the asphalt, when I…" he hesitated, "pulled you out of the way."

"I feel it," I said leaning closer to him. He stiffened slightly and quickly pushed himself away from me.

"You pulled me out of the way?" I asked remembering the distance that had separated him from me. "How did you manage that?" The pounding in my ears was getting worse as the noise level increased. Some teachers had hurried outside to pull out whoever was inside the van. Edward ignored me and went to help them. Minutes later the unconscious and bleeding body of Tyler Crowley was pulled out of the wreckage of his parent's vehicle. Sirens were heard far off as both the ambulance and the police headed in to join our party. At this point my head was ready to explode. I leaned my back against the tan Honda and held my head in my hands.

When I managed to lift my head up again, I saw Edward talking to an EMT and pointing in my direction. The man nodded and with a stretcher in tow walked towards me. Understanding through my daze what Edward had done I threw him a dirty look. I tried to convince the EMT that the stretcher wouldn't be necessary but when he noticed my slight unbalance he insisted I hop on, relenting I did as I was told. One of the officers from my dad's police station walked over to where I laid and informed me that my dad would meet me at the hospital as soon as possible. Then I was carted along with Tyler, who was in another ambulance, to Forks Community Hospital. Edward managed to evade the EMT's and rode up front instead as if he were escorting me.

They wheeled me into the Radiology room where they x-rayed my head. Then I was placed in the emergency room, a rather small room with a row of beds on each side, which were separated by mix-matched patterned curtains. The nurse had been kind enough to give me an ice bag for my head, and then she took my vitals and told me to wait for a doctor to check me. As I lay there, Tyler was brought in and situated directly in front of my bed. He was awake, which was a relief, but half his face was covered in thick gauze, and I wondered how bad the damage had been. I started to feel guilty I hadn't thought about his condition which must have been far worse than mine since he had been inside the van.

Tyler hadn't seemed to notice me yet. His one visible green eye seemed unfocused and far away. It swiveled around a couple of times before it landed on me, and then I saw it widen in recognition.

"Isabella Swann!" he asked shocked. My lips stretched into a tight line.

"Hi, Tyler," I said waving slowly.

"Out of all the people I could have almost run over…" he mumbled quietly. "…The chief's daughter."

"Don't worry, Tyler, I'll make sure he doesn't revoke your driving privileges," I told him attempting some humor. He blanched.

"I'm so sorry," he told me in a rush. "I don't even know what happen."

"It was all very sudden, I understand." He shouldn't be beating himself up when he was worse off than me.

"I'm so glad I didn't hurt you. Your like a cheetah, I didn't even see you jump out of the way." His words made me silent for a minute, a million questions circled around in my head. Why hadn't he seen Edward? Was I going crazy? Had Edward actually stop a runaway vehicle with his hand or was I hallucinating due to the bump on my head. _No, No, I wasn't going to question my own sanity. I'm one hundred percent sure of what I saw. I think._

"Actually Edward was right next to me," I lied. "He pulled me out of the way. Didn't you see him?"

"One of the Cullen?" he asked, shivering slightly.

"Yep," I said ignoring his look of revulsion.

"No, I didn't. He isn't hurt is he?" he asked looking around the room with his one eye.

"I don't think so?" I told him honestly. "He's one of the lucky ones." Tyler managed a half smile, wincing slightly.

Even though my head ached and I told him that, Tyler kept up a one sided conversation. He talked ceaselessly, stopping only to draw breath, till my head was in danger of imploding. It seemed that everyone in this town loved the sound of their own voices. After a while I decided to play possum, in the hope that he would stop talking. I was on the verge of actually falling asleep when a soft, soothing voice brought me back. Opening one eye I saw Edward leaning down talking to Tyler.

"Do you think she's asleep?" He asked Tyler. There was a slightly mocking tone in his smooth voice as if he had seen through my ruse. Tyler lifted his shoulders and shrugged, he opened his mouth, to apologize no doubt, but Edward stopped him with a raised hand.

"You don't have to apologize to me," he said reading the intent on Tyler's face. "Just be more careful in the future."

Tyler nodded silently, rested his head on his pillow and stared at the tiled ceiling unblinkingly. If only I had known that was the way to shut him up, I would have tried it sooner. Edward sat down at the foot of my bed and stared down at me with a slightly raised eyebrow. I turned to him unable to fake sleep any longer.

"Ah, Sleeping Beauty stirs!" he exclaimed as my eyes opened and looked into his face. He laughed when I rolled my eyes. I realized it was the first time I had heard him laugh. When he did so his face transformed, his laugh was rich and sensual like dark chocolate. My mouth watered as I pictured his full lips on mine.

"Well tell me, any broken bones?" He asked.

"That is _my_ job to find out," said a deep male voice from behind one of the curtains. Edward smiled as an extraordinarily handsome blond man walked into my makeshift room. He had on a white coat with a stethoscope hanging around his neck. This must be the infamous Dr. Cullen. If I hadn't known that Edward was adopted I would have sworn that Dr. Cullen was Edward's actual father, or at least his brother. Dr. Cullen didn't look a year over twenty-six. He had the same strange golden color eyes and the same shadows under them, which were standard on every Cullen face I'd seen. His skin was pallid and looked tired, but I didn't think too much of that since being a doctor was probably a very demanding job.

"Bella, this is my father, Carlisle." Edward waved a hand towards the doctor.

"It is very nice to meet you, Bella," Carlisle said with a tilt of his head. For a minute I thought he was bowing to me.

He walked around Edward and started to explore my head with his long fingers. I winced away from his hand as one of his digits ran over a large lump in the back of my skull.

"Well I have good news and not so bad news" Carlisle said with a smile.

"Good news first, please."

"You don't have a concussion," he said. "I examined your x-rays myself and everything checked out." I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Not so bad news now," I said and he smiled again, his brilliant white teeth shone a little under the lights.

"That's a hell of a bump in the back of your head," he told me. My fingers reached up to touch the bump slightly. "I'd like you to stay off your feet and take a Tylenol or two for the pain."

"That means I don't have to go back to school?" I asked elated. It meant I was free of P.E. for today and that made me happy.

"At the very least you got a day off out of all this," Edward told me.

"Thank you," I said turning from Carlisle, who was scribbling something down on my chipboard, to Edward. "I wouldn't have walked away with nothing but a bump on the head if you hadn't pulled me out of the way in time."

Edward looked at Carlisle uncomfortably. The doctor had stopped scribbling and was staring back at him sedately. "Yes, you were very lucky," he said still staring at his son. There was something about the way they stared at each other that made me feel like I was being kept out of the loop.

As Dr. Cullen signed my chart to discharge me, my father burst into the emergency room, "Bella," he sighed when he saw I was alive.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"Dad, I'm fine," I told him. I glanced over at Tyler who coward silently. I knew my dad was about to give him a piece of his mind when he turned but his mouth remained closed. He got a full view of Tyler's face and asked instead, "Are _you_ alright?" Tyler nodded surprisingly mute.

"Unfortunately Mr. Crowley is in much worse shape than Bella here," said Dr. Cullen. "But, I am sure he will make a full recovery." He smiled at Tyler.

"Thank you Dr. Cullen," said my dad extending his hand to shake the doctors.

"It is my job and pleasure," the doctor responded smoothly.

"Come on, Bella, let's get you home," he said.

"Dad, can you get the car ready? I'll meet you outside in a minute." He stared uncertainly at me for a second, then nodded and walked out the doors. Once he was gone, and Carlisle Cullen was occupied by undressing Tyler's wounds, I walked over to Edward.

"May I have a word with you?" I asked.

"About what, exactly?" he retorted, instantly serious.

"Do you need me to elaborate?" I said grumpily. "You were no where near me and yet you save me from becoming a smudge on Tyler's door. Don't tell me I'm imagining things because I hit my head, I saw you beside your Volvo, across the lot. I'm sure you stopped the van from hitting us with your _hand_. Don't get me wrong I'm grateful but I'd like to know how you did it." All this was said in a whisper, between my clenched teeth.

"I was next to you, and pulled you out of the way," he said piercing me with his golden eyes.

"That's what I told Tyler, but you and I know that isn't true," I said. "Tell me the truth."

"You demand a lot," he said. "I just saved your life. Thank me and get over it." I glared at him. "Do you understand what you're saying? It sounds crazy," he mocked. "I simply pulled you out of the way of a vehicle that was about to collide with you. I didn't stop it with my hand, _if_ that is humanly possible and I did not run across the parking lot in twenty seconds. That is the story, understand." He sounded menacingly serious and I found myself backing away slowly. "No one will believe you if you were to mention otherwise."

"I'm not a gossip," I told him. "No one needs to know anything that you don't want them to know." He looked at me surprised.

"Then there is no reason to keep talking." He turned away sharply and disappeared through a door. I looked around for Dr. Cullen but he too seemed to have vanished into thin air. A nurse was attending to Tyler now, who was freshly bandaged and seemed to be falling asleep.

My dad was talking to a couple when I finally reached him. From the looks of worry on their faces it was clear who they were.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Crowley," I said.

"Isabella, sweetheart," said Mrs. Crowley in a squeaky feminine voice. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright," I told her. "I was very lucky."

Mrs. Crowley's green eyes, the exact color of her sons, began to water. "Now, now Sophia," said Mr. Crowley, "the chief said Tyler was fine." He pulled his wife's small frame into his chest. "Were glad you're alright Isabella," he told me over the top of Mrs. Crowley's head. He patted his wife's curly brown locks softly, while she sobbed uncontrollably.

"I'm going to take Bella home, Fred," my father told Mr. Crowley.

"See you Charlie," Mr. Crowley responded and began walking towards the hospital carting his wife with him.

My dad handed me my discharge papers and opened the door to the passenger seat for me. I hopped in, propped my head on the headrest and close my eyes. My dad's body radiated tension from every pore as he settled himself into the driver's side.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked again.

"Aside from a really bad headache I'm fine," I told him. "Dr. Cullen told me to take a couple Tylenol and rest.

"What the hell happened?"

"Tyler lost control of his vehicle on the ice," I said sleepily. "And almost ran me over."

"I gathered that much," he told me. "How did you? You know what I don't want to know. I'm just glad you're alright."

"If you're wondering how I got out of the way so fast, Edward pulled me out," I told him without turning my head.

"Dr. Cullen's son?" he asked. I was getting irritated of answering this question, as if there were a hundred Edward Cullen's in Forks.

"Yes. Edward Cullen, the one and only," I told him. "I wanted to thank him."

"And you couldn't thank him in front of me?" he asked with a smile.

"Dad, stop it," I said. The car grew silent for a few minutes, and then I heard him exhale in a deep gust.

"You should call your mother when we get home." I turned my head to look at his face, his expression was inscrutable.

"Why would I need to do that?" I asked.

"She'll be worried if you don't," he told me.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" I asked.

"I thought she had a right to know," he said.

My mother had the tendency to overreact. I could only imagine what this news did to her nerves. She was probably on the phone right this minute getting tickets for the next flight to Washington.

"You and I know how she reacts," I told him, "She's probably freaking out."

"Yeah, you're right," he told me remorsefully. "She always knew how to be theatrical."

The rest of the ride was silent and I was thankful for that. When we walked into the house I ran directly to my room and picked up my cell phone. Ignoring the missed calls I dialed my mothers number, she picked up on the second ring.

"Bella!" she shrieked. "Don't worry, baby. You'll be home soon." It took a minute for the pounding that had ensued at her greeting to subside.

"Mom," I said. "It's alright, I'm fine."

"I knew Forks was a bad idea," she said ignoring me.

"Mom," I said loudly, trying to be heard over her babbling. "Forks, wasn't a bad idea. I'm glad I came and I'm not leaving."

"But you almost died," she said.

"But I didn't, and it was just an accident."

She kept a running list of reasons why I should come home, but it was only when she mentioned Phil and how much he _missed_ me that the decision to stay cemented itself in my head. When she realized I was determined to stay, she urged me to be careful and told me that if something like this happened again she herself would drag me back to California. I made a mental note to warn my father that he should under no circumstances notify my mother about almost death experiences again. She hung up only after I promised I would call her tomorrow as soon as I came home from school. I quickly looked at my clock; it was one in the afternoon. Sitting on the edge of my bed with my head in my hands I began thinking of Edwards golden eyes when a knock at my door startled me. I opened the door to see my dad with a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol in his hands.

"I wasn't sure if you knew where the bottle of Tylenol was kept."

"Thanks, dad," I said taking the bottle from him, popping the lid and slipping two small white pills out. He handed me the glass of water and I took a swig to wash the pills down. I handed the pill bottle and the glass of water back to him.

"Get some rest," he said a he headed for the stairs. I closed my door and jumped into bed. The covers felt soft and inviting, and I snuggled deeper into them. Despite having slept soundly the night before I felt tired, my eyes were heavy and I knew it was only a matter of time before I fell asleep. The problem was that my mind kept mulling over the events of this morning. The Cullen's had a secret. Super strength, super speed and color changing eyes, Edward Cullen was a regular Superman. Regrettably I was a little too curious and once I was presented with a puzzle I would do anything to solve it. Edward Cullen was an Enigma in itself, and I was going to figure him out, one way or the other. With that last thought I fell asleep. That was the day my dreams began.

_Mr. and Mrs. Crowley were fun to do. I love Bella's dad, with his comments. Poor Tyler was in shock. "It is my job, and pleasure," Carlisle is so COOL!_


	4. Chapter 4

Invitations

Chapter 4

It was dark, and Edward Cullen stood a few feet away from me, his skin glowing dimly. His face was in shadow and as I took a step forward he took a step back. Scared I began to walk faster, but he was always ahead of me walking at a sedate pace. All I knew was that I didn't want to be alone, not here, not in the darkness. I panicked and began to run but I couldn't catch up. I called his name but he never turned. At this point I woke in a cold sweat, a scream lodged in my throat. Afraid of having this dream again I fought heavy lids. My obsession was seeping into my subconscious.

To my dismay Tyler was at school that next day too. Dr. Cullen had dismissed him after seeing to his cuts, which were superficial at best. He had needed stitches on two but they weren't severe enough for him to convince his parents to let him have the week off. He was now surrounded by admirers including Lauren, who wanted a play by play of the accident, which he was only too willing to give them, exaggerating most of the details.

I held on to the promise I made Edward, my story of the accident was simply that he had saved me from being crushed. I didn't elaborate and talked of it as little as possible. Soon the excitement of the story started to wane. Tyler's gratitude on the other hand was not fading. He kept apologizing and following me around. The old adage "be careful what you wish for," kept running through my head. What I had yearned for my first day of school, to have friends, to fit in, was crashing down on me. My near death experience had given me an unwelcome type of popularity that I wasn't expecting.

Edward on the other hand was, as always, completely ignored. It was as if an invisible person had pulled me out of the way of Tyler's van. People omitted him from the events, not even giving him credit for helping the teachers pull Tyler out. The Cullen's were never disturbed at their lunch table or had crowds of people flock to them between classes. Edward never looked my way and in Biology, which was the only place we were forced to interact, he hardly paid attention to me. Sometimes I had the feeling he regretted something. I didn't want to believe he was sorry for saving my life. Why would he want me dead?

The day after the accident I returned to school with a desire to talk to him. I felt ashamed for seeming so ungrateful the day before and wanted to apologize. At lunch I tried to get his attention but he never turned to me, something prevented me from going to his table and apologizing, perhaps his sibling's unhappy expressions. Unable to get a response out of him with my frantic waving I decided to lay low and wait for Biology, he was obviously still too angry with me.

The only image that seemed to come up when I thought of him was that of his face when he last talked to me in the Emergency Room, his eyes blazed fire. My temper hadn't been all that under control either. The thing that angered me the most was that he wouldn't trust me with his secret, but as I laid in bed thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that he was right. He shouldn't trust a stranger with something so implicating. How did he know I wouldn't run to my father, who just happens to be The Chief of Police, or someone else? My cheeks flamed with shame when I pictured myself demanding the truth. He hadn't been obligated to pull me out of harms way, putting himself at risk in the process. Edward had saved my life, did it really matter how he had done it?

It had taken me longer than usual to get to Biology, the mass of people who wanted to hear my scintillating story were endless. Edward was already seated when I reached our desk, his chair as far from mine as possible.

"Hey, Edward," I said in way of greeting. My palms started to sweat slightly waiting for his cutting response. Instead he inclined his head slightly to show he had heard me and continued as if I wasn't sitting right next to him.

Since then he never acknowledged me. Trying to keep good faith I continued to greet him despite his coldness towards me. But he didn't even give a nod and after a while I stopped greeting him at all. Some days I couldn't help peeking at him, but I made sure he never noticed. Lunch hour was my time for indulging my need to see him, because I knew he would never look in my direction. The bright gold of his eyes began to dull into caramel, and finally became as black as a bottomless pit. His dark moods became so powerful that they affected me personally. I felt drained and cheerless. Even my mother, whom I was trying to fool with extreme cheeriness, began to notice my mood's sudden decline.

"Baby, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Mom, nothing is wrong. Everything is great!" I said this with such an outpouring of euphoria I was sure Richard Simmons would have cringed.

"Don't lie to me," she said in a sulky tone. "When it comes to you I know everything, I'm your mom," it was true, she did know everything. Except what drove me out of California and I was going to make sure she never found that out.

"It's just the weather mom," I told her.

"I know what you mean," she said. "Is it still raining?" I breathed in relief at having distracted her successfully. We talked of the weather for the remainder of the conversation.

"Bella, I know you don't like to talk about it. But if you want to come home you can, anytime."

"I'll think about it," I lied.

"I bet you will," she told me before she hung up.

My dreams about Edward Cullen didn't only continue they multiplied. As soon as my head hit the pillow his image emerged from deep within my subconscious. I usually awoke with a start, drenched in sweat and then quickly dose off again only to have it repeat later that night.

Mike was very pleased by Edward's distance. He planted himself on my desk and talked to me before class each day, ignoring Edward completely. I could tell Mike had been worried that "Mr. Perfect," as he liked to refer to Edward, had impressed me with his show of valor.

The rain had completely eradicated that film of ice that had made traversing the roads so dangerous. Mike had griped about it, annoyed he hadn't been able to orchestrate his massive snowball battle. The only thing that seemed to console him was that since the weather had changed for the better the trip to La Push was definitely going to happen.

The next morning during Trigonometry Jessica leaned in to talk to me about something that I hadn't been aware of.

"Bella," she said slyly. "You do know the Sadie Hawkins dance is next Saturday, right?" She studied my face intently. "I was wondering if you were going with anyone."

"Actually I wasn't really paying attention to the date, I guess it just slipped my mind," I told her. "Is it really next week?"

"Yeah, it is," she said impatiently. "So, are you going with anyone?" There was a certain kind of urgency to her tone.

"I don't think I'm going," I told her. I had no dancing skill whatsoever. I had two left feet. I wasn't about to make a fool of myself by performing something close to the Chicken Dance in front of the whole school.

"Really?" she asked. "Why?"

Scrambling for an explanation that sounded plausible I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I'm going to Seattle that weekend." She smiled hugely at that and wished me a good time. She didn't seem interested in knowing what I went to Seattle for, and since I didn't have an explanation for that I was glad she hadn't asked.

"By the way, you wouldn't mind if I asked Mike to go with me, would you?" Was she really asking my permission, as if I were his keeper?

"Why would I mind?" I asked her. Jessica shrugged and went back to her desk. I had a feeling that my friendship with Jessica wasn't going to last long. She seemed to like the attention she got when she was around me more than our actual friendship.

Later that day during Lunch hour Jessica made every attempt to not talk to me, her cold shoulder was giving me frostbite. She was equally as stony towards Mike, which made me believe he had rejected her invitation to be her date. Jessica flirted outrageously with Eric instead, and made sure that Mike was present to see it. Unfortunately Mike hardly paid any attention to her, he spend the time talking to Tyler, who had joined our little table group.

Though he walked me to Biology like always, Mike didn't say a word. Something I knew from experience meant he was extremely mad.

"Why are you going to Seattle next Saturday?" he blurted when we reached my Biology table. The question took me by surprise, and my brain went blank.

"Seattle?" I asked.

"You aren't going to the Sadie Hawkins dance," he said. "Jessica said it was because you were going to Seattle, where in Seattle are you going and for what?"

His demanding tone made me both angry and embarrassed. Angry because he was acting as if I belonged to him and embarrassed because it reminded me so much of the way I had demanded the truth from Edward.

"Oh, yeah," I told him. "There's a good reason why I'm going to Seattle,"

"And that is?"

I was shocked by the way Mike was acting I didn't expect this from him. "Why do you care?" I asked harshly. He flinched and I regretted my retort instantly. For all I knew he was just concerned about me. Seattle was a big city, where lots of horrible things happened every day. "I was thinking of going to Borders. There aren't any good books stores here and my collection is getting old. Do you have any idea how many times I've re-read "Gone with the Wind?"

He smiled slightly. "Do you want company?" I felt myself blanch.

"No!" I said quickly. "I go a little crazy when I'm surrounded by books. You don't need to see that."

"Alright," he said sadly.

"But I heard Jessica wanted to ask you to the Sadie Hawkins dance," I told him before he left. "There's no reason why you can't go with her and have fun."

"Yeah, she already asked me," he told me uncomfortable.

"What did you say?" I asked even though I already knew the answer.

"I said I'd think about it."

"Why?" I asked. "She really wanted to go with you."

"I guess I'll tell her yes." He sounded as if saying yes to Jessica had been the furthest thing from his mind.

"You'll have a great time with her," I told him enthusiastically.

"So you're really not going," he glanced at Edward for a second and I stiffened in my seat.

"I told you I'm not," I said icily. He shrugged and walked to his seat.

Sighing I opened my book to the page indicated on the blackboard. I felt really bad about letting Mike down, but I couldn't pretend something I didn't feel. Mike was a good friend and nothing else.

Mr. Banner cleared his throat and I tried to concentrate on what he was saying. He placed two sheets of paper in front of me. Not wanting Edward to reach for his worksheet and also wanting an excuse to peek at him again, I gently pushed the paper towards him. As I lifted my eyes to his face I caught the same perplexed stared he gave me that first day at the cafeteria. His dark eyes narrowed into slits momentarily then seconds later they widened in confusion. My entire body tingled under his scrutiny. His dark gaze paralyzed me so completely I couldn't help but stare back at him. It took me a few seconds to realize that the teacher had stopped talking and that the whole class was staring at us.

"The Krebs Cycle," was Edward's answer to a question I hadn't even heard. He slowly turned from me to Mr. Banner.

Mr. Banner brow began to sweat and his voice cracked, he had obviously expected him to not been paying enough attention. I fumbled with my book, trying desperately to find the page we were currently on, and hoping the teacher didn't turn to me for a correct answer. My heart was pounding in my veins and I felt lightheaded. Was this right, just because a guy, albeit a really good-looking one, happened to glance my way? Would I have acted the same if it were Mike? I knew the answer to that was no, and that's what had me scared. Edward Cullen was dangerous, I could tell from the way people acted around him. There was an unspoken aura of danger surrounding him and his family. And I couldn't help but be attracted to him.

My mother and I had a lot of similarities, our love of vintage, our sports disability and the shape of our eyes and mouth. But I would have never imagined that the taste in men was something inheritable. Did I like the bad boys too? And if so, how truly bad was Edward Cullen?

I spent the whole of Biology period pondering this new dilemma. When the bell rang I got up to slowly gather my things, Mike passed right by me without saying a word. It hurt me that he hadn't waited like he usually did. _Was our friendship over?_ I wondered. Immediately felt an overwhelming sadness rush through my body. I decided I'd give Mike plenty of space by taking my time getting to gym class. The biology room quickly emptied, even Mr. Banner left since he didn't have another class this period. Since Edward Cullen usually dashed out like a rocket I was waiting for the usual swoosh sound that indicated his passing. But it never came.

I continued packing, dismissing the lack of sound. He probably just found a faster way of travel, one that didn't make a sound.

His silky voice in my ear startled me, "Bella." I turned eagerly to his voice wanting to see his face without that annoying expression of inquiry. He remained silent, just staring at me.

"What!" I screamed, annoyed he was looking at me with such pity. "You said my name."

"Yes, I suppose I did," he said a slow smile lighting his face.

He looked so delectable. I bit my lip in order not to make a fool of myself by jumping on him and tearing his clothes off.

"So, what do you want?" I asked. I kept my gaze concentrated on the scratches on the table. It was easier to talk to him when I wasn't looking directly at him. I felt as he moved closer to me, and put a cool hand under my chin, lifting my face up. His golden eyes met mine.

"I have to stay away from you, don't you see." His cool, sweet breath wafted in my face. My knees went weak and I almost topple to the floor. Edward managed to snake both his hands around my waist and lift me up on the table before I hit the ground.

"No, apparently I don't see. I better go to the ophthalmologists." He sighed exasperatedly. "Why do you need to stay away from me? I'm not contagious with any disease that I know off."

He slipped his torso between my jean-clad legs and pulled me closer. "It's complicated Bella, please understand," he whispered. My breathing had become labored and my words came out muddled. He turned his head and ran his nose the length of my collarbone. My hands wormed their way up and around his broad shoulders, feeling all the muscles that made up his body. This was it, this is what I was waiting for, I couldn't careless who walked in at this moment.

Unfortunately Edward had a different idea. He suddenly disentangled himself from me and pushed himself away. He slung his school bag on to his shoulder and whispered a quick apology without looking at me. My heart pounded in my chest and my blood boiled in my veins. I was more hurt than angry but I wasn't about to show him how much he had affected me.

"Yes, run you coward," I managed to whisper under my breath. My temper was at its worse when I felt used.

He skidded to a stop just as he was about to open the door of the biology room and spun around to face me. His face was crumpled up into a grimace and his eyes sparked with anger.

"You have no idea what I have done for you," he spat.

His expression and his words caught me off guard, but I wasn't even close to letting my anger fizzle out. I hopped off the table with as much dignity as I could muster and walked over to where he stood.

"You should've just let the van kill me. Then you wouldn't have to suffer by seeing my face every day." My anger propelled me forward, and even though his anger was escalading with each word I said, the fear I felt wasn't enough to make me stop. "I can see how much you regret having saved me."

"I don't regret saving you, stupid girl. The only thing I regret is not being able to stay away from you. This is not about you!"

"The "It's not you, it's me" speech," I said laughing. "I've heard _that_ before." He stared at me stunned.

"You have no idea how incredibly lucky you are that I just let you go," he whispered, leaning his head down to me. I shivered involuntarily at the menace behind the words. A sinister smile spread over his face.

"You're just a bully," I said in genuine fear now that the anger had past and ran for the door.

The late bell rang just as I burst in to the Gym. Couch Clapp stared down at me from the center of the room. She called me over to her with a firm shake of her hand.

"There some reason why you're late for my class Miss Swann?" she asked me.

"It won't happen again," I managed to croak. Couch Clapp stared down at me warily. My palms were cold and clammy, and I became aware I was shaking slightly.

"Are you alright, Isabella?" she asked. I was afraid of what she read in my expression.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said but I know I didn't convince her. My legs felt like Jell-O and my heart was going so fast it was about to burst out of my chest.

"Go on get changed," she said as she stepped aside. I ran into the deserted locker room and collapsed. All the anger had evaporated from my body like steam in a boiling pot, leaving nothing but a tiring sadness.

How could I have been so stupid? I wondered. What could have made me believe a guy like that would even notice me. This town was making me delusional, and apparently desperate. Putting my face in my hands I closed my eyes but Edward materialized in the darkness of my closed lids. What was wrong with me? I could hear feet pounding and knew the teacher would be angry if I didn't join the rest of the class in time. Dressing down as fast as I could I rushed out of the girls locker room and was in time to be assigned to a team for basketball practice. Since Mike hadn't volunteered to be my partner I was stuck with the slow, the nearsighted and the lazy, it was torture.

Gym couldn't have gone worse if a nuclear bomb had fallen on me. It was no surprised when my team lost, thanks to a combination of my clumsy throws and Jamie Sullivan's lazy shuffle. Couch Clapp blew the whistle at last, which saved Rebecca Jenkins from my incoming cannon ball. The poor girl was as blind as a bat, I was sure I had given her a black eye from the last one. Our horrible misfortune wasn't only due to my inability to dribble a ball. I blamed Edward Cullen, who kept crawling up at the worst moments. I breathed in a huge lungful of cold air, thankful that the torture would be over, for now.

Getting to my truck was like heaven after a day like today. Luckily the accident hadn't done a whole lot of damage. I did have to replace a taillight and there was a dent that ran the length of the bed, but my truck wasn't pretty to begin with. The scars only served to give it character. The blue van hadn't faired as well. Tyler's parents had gone to Dowling's the only mechanic in Forks that knew how to do his job, and he charged an arm and a leg for the privilege of his "magic hands." In the end Tyler's parents decided it was a lost cost to resurrect their beat up van and opted to scrap it instead. I wondered what Dowling had made of the two hand shaped dents on the roof of the van.

I rushed to my truck unaware of everyone around me. It caught me by surprise to see Erick leaning leisurely against the side of the old impala I'd parked next to.

"Eric, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I just wanted to ask you a question," he said nervously. I unlocked my truck door and was about to jump inside when I noticed Eric's jerky movements.

"Shoot?" I said.

"Well, I was just…I hoped you…Will you go to the Sadie Hawkins Dance with me?" he finally squeaked.

"Eric isn't the whole point of a Sadie Hawkins Dance for the girl to ask the boy," I asked.

"I know," he said stroking his greasy head. "But some girls are a little shy and I was wondering if maybe you needed a little help."

"No help required," I told him. "I'm not planning to go anywhere near that dance."

"Really?" he asked. Was it so hard to believe that I didn't like dancing? I was no Ginger Rogers to be sure.

"Yeah, I'm heading over to Seattle, to check out a few bookstores." He gawked at me as if a bug had flown from my mouth.

"Next time," he said with an easy smile.

"I'll think about it," I lied.

As Eric walked to his car, his back slightly slouching from disappointment, I heard a soft chuckle growing ever louder. My head rose slowly and I saw Edward strolling past the front of my truck. His shoulders were shaking with laughter and his hands were hidden inside the pockets of his tan jacket.

Without taking my eyes of his tall figure I hopped into my truck, turned the ignition and revved my engine dangerously. If only I had the courage to commit murder, he would be the first person I'd kill. He reached his car before I managed to pull my hulking vehicle out of its parking spot. He pulled out and positioned himself right in front of my truck, boxing me in. His family slowly made their way towards the silver Volvo, but they were yet far off. I grind my teeth in irritation. _What if I rear-ended his precious Volvo_? I thought viciously. Then I looked around me, _too many witnesses I'd never get away with it._ Damn, Edward Cullen brought out the worst in me.

Slowly but surely, a small procession of vehicles lined up behind me. I counted at least five in my rearview mirror, including Tyler Crowley in the used Sentra his parents had purchased after scrapping the van. He waved frantically, both arms extended high over his head as if he were drowning. A headache had slowly begun pounding above my right eye, and I wasn't in the mood for chitchat, especially Tyler's endless apologies. I opted to ignore him instead. The slow pace of the Cullen's irked me, for some irrational reason it looked faked.

While I twiddled my thumbs, ignoring, both, the car in front of me and those behind, a series of quick knocks at my window startled me. Tyler's muffled apologies for frightening me made me cringe, my head slowly turned to look at him.

He motioned for me to lower my window, which I was hard pressed to do since the inside of my truck was nice and toasty as oppose to the frigid air outside. With my super woman strength I managed to get the window halfway down, and then, unable to crank it any lower I gave up.

"Tyler it isn't me," I said pointing at the silver Volvo. "I'm as much a prisoner as you."

He waved it off dismissively, "That's okay."

"Then what's the matter?" I asked confused.

He shuffled his feet before answering, "You can ask _me_ to the Dance, he said. "If you like," he added when my face scrunched up in anger.

"No, I wouldn't like," I said. "I'm not going to the damn Dance, Tyler." I couldn't be the only girl in this school left without a date, could I? His face went as white as a sheet of ultra-white paper and his green eyes lowered in shame.

"I'm sorry, Tyler. I'm sure you'd be a great date, and another dance I'm all yours, but not this one," I said softening my tone. I was such a pushover for puppy dog eyes.

He looked instantly happier, "That's alright. Mike and Eric warned me you had plans. I just didn't listen. But Prom is definitely on, alright."

He rushed off before I could clear him of the Prom delusion. Oh well, I'm sure he'll have forgotten about it by then. This "making it up to me" phase couldn't last long. Thankfully at that same minute Alice and Emmett Cullen and Rosalie and Jasper Hale quickly slipped into the silver Volvo and just as quickly the car dissolved into the highway. _His siblings must be terrified of his driving_, I thought, _he was a madman_.

I drove extra slow, wanting to balance Edwards speeding. The words "damn you to hell" kept crossing my mouth of their own volition. It was like word vomit, I couldn't stop. When I finally entered my house, my father was waiting for me in the kitchen. Onions and red peppers were simmering in a pan, enveloping the room in the sweet aroma. He took one look at me and smiled.

"What happened to you?" he asked. "You look pissed off."

"Is it that noticeable?"

"Did someone run over your puppy?" he mocked.

"Stick to cooking," I told him. "Comedy isn't your thing."

I ran upstairs to put my school bag away and then returned to the kitchen to watch my father cook. It fascinated me how good he was in the kitchen. My mother couldn't even boil water. More often than not we ended up getting takeout after one of her many disasters. I was glad he was back on routine because he hadn't been doing so well lately. The morning of my accident, a security guard had been killed at the Grisham Mill and the case had gone cold. He had been pulling double shifts, which left me to fend for myself. It was a treat to see him happily at work in the kitchen, instead of bent over his desk looking at pictures of a dead man.

"So how's the case going?" I asked casually. He stopped eating and stared over at me.

"You know I can't discuss an open investigation with you," he said after swallowing his mouthful of enchilada.

"Ah, come on dad. Who am I going to tell?" He shook his head for a second and I feared he really wasn't going to say anything.

"We have no new leads," he said finally deciding to tell me. "It's like whoever did this just disappeared, you know. And the marks on poor Matt, they looked like human bite marks. They sent his autopsy to forensics. He was completely drained of blood. I hope there isn't some type of cult starting in Forks." My eyes narrowed with confusion and curiosity. "That reminds me," he said heaving himself to his feet and walking to the coat closet. He came back out with a small bottle of pepper spray.

"Dad, this is _Forks_. Why would I need pepper spray?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter where you are. There are bad people all around Bells." He tossed me the pepper spray. "Keep that with you." I was about to argue about toting a pepper spray everywhere when the phone rang.

"This isn't over," I said as I walked to the phone. I thought it might have been my mom, angry because I hadn't call this week, but a completely different voice sounded down the line.

"Jessica?" I said incredulous.

"Guess what!" she screamed.

"What?" I said playing dumb.

"Mike and I are going to the dance together," she sounded ecstatic.

"I'm so glad," I told her with as much enthusiasm as I could fit in my voice.

"Yeah, he said that he would love to go. That he had hoped that I would be the one to ask. Can you believe it?" I laughed silently at her obvious lie.

"I can't believe it!" I said sarcastically.

"I'm calling Lauren and Angela next to tell them the good news," she said.

"Hey" I interrupted. "Why don't Angela and Lauren ask Eric and Tyler?" Secretly I was hoping Lauren would get stuck with Tyler and they'd drive each other crazy for once.

"That's a great idea," she said.

"I'm full of them," I said.

To bad about Seattle," she said. "Still going, though, right?"

"That was the plan."

"Alright," she said sounding relieved. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Bye, Jess." Her line went dead before I even removed the phone from my ear. She was probably just checking that I'd be out of town. She wouldn't want Mike to change his mind last minute. I went back to the table to finish my dinner.

"Who was that?" My dad asked. This was a topic change if ever I heard one. He wanted no more grief about the pepper spray. I relented letting him win this battle.

"It was Jessica," I told him digging into my enchilada.

"The Stanley girl?" he asked. Since my mouth was full of food I just nodded.

"That girl's mother is something," he said making a face. "I hope the daughter doesn't turn out the same." My eyes rolled and he laughed.

"Isn't the dance this Saturday?" he asked. Again I nodded. This town was irritatingly small. "Ask anyone to be your date yet."

"I was thinking I'd go to Seattle instead," I said nonchalant.

"When were you going to tell me?" he asked.

"Dad, I'm seventeen, relax."

"There's something strange out there Bella."

"I have my pepper spray," I told him gesturing to it with my hands like Vanna White.

That seemed to calm him a little. "I'd preferred you stay home, but if you insist on going then call me from every spot you stop at, alright. I'd ask to go with you but I know what you'd say, I'd rather skip that conversation.

"Deal," I agreed.

When we finished eating, my dad put on a re-run of "Bones." After I had finished with the dishes I sat down to join him. But I couldn't concentrate on Booth and Bones, because Edward Cullen kept haunting my thoughts.

What did he mean by "I can't stay away from you?" I remember his sinister smile and shivered. My dad wrapped me in a short cotton blanket he kept folded over the couch thinking I was cold. _Maybe I should stay away from Edward_, I thought. But _could _I stay away from Edward? My whole body tingled with stress at the mere thought of it. I concentrated instead on the way his hands grabbed my waist as he hoisted me to the table. The way his baby soft skin felt on mine when he ran his cool nose along my collarbone. Different parts of my body reacted at that thought. Unable to endure the actors on the TV a second longer, I uncoiled from the blanket, kissed my dad on the cheek and rushed into bed, where, unusually tired I fell into a deep sleep.

At school the next morning, to avert disaster I parked my truck as far as possible from Edward's car as I was physically able. It's just like me to have the brilliant idea of totaling it and end up having to buy a brand new one. As I lifted myself out, juggling my heavy books and school bags, my keys fell out of my hand and into a puddle of charcoal black water. I groaned in irritation. Adjusting my books and school bag I bent down to retrieve them when a snow-white hand shot out of nowhere. Shocked I lost my balance and fell butt first to the asphalt.

"You seem very uncoordinated," he said making no attempt to help me up.

"Thanks," I muttered as I righted myself. He held out his hand, on which my key was suspended from one of his long fingers.

"Okay, that was extremely strange," I said. He half smiled, "I don't understand what you are referring to?"

"The whole "appearing act" thing," I said. "Are you a magician?"

"If I were, I wouldn't tell you," he told me.

"Right, never reveal your secrets and all that, got it." He laughed that sweet chocolaty laugh.

"I won't leave you in suspense, I have no magic," he told me. "You're simply always unaware of your surroundings." He lowered his coppery head down to mine slowly and my mind fogged up. I lowered my eyes hoping to regain my capacity to speak.

"Thanks for stopping traffic yesterday," I told him.

"Tyler needed his moment," he said. "I simply provided him that opportunity."

My eyes widened, a combination of emotions flitted across my face, anger, embarrassment and finally sadness.

"Please go back to pretending I don't exist," I spat hurt that he didn't seem to care if other guys asked me out. _And why would he care?_ I asked myself. The problem was that _I _would care if he were the one being asked to this dance by all the girls in the school.

"I'm hardly pretending you don't exist," he told me, lifting my chin up with his finger.

"I get it, irritation is a better means of killing me. I would have preferred the van." His face sobered and his golden eyes turned icy.

"You must be the least intelligent creature on the face of this planet," he said between clenched teeth. That uncontrollable anger that usually surfaced when I was mocked rose up once more.

"Then don't touch me. You'll catch my dim wit disease." I turned to leave, heaving the heavy load of my books, which I had forgotten I carried.

"Stop," he said jumping in front of me to halt my steps. I tried to weave around him but each time I tried he blocked my path, as if he knew which direction my feet would take. Irritated, I quickly gave up.

"It was wrong of me to say that to you," he told me. "Besides the reason I'm here is to ask you a question." My eyes rolled as I motion with impatience for him to continue. He smiled softly and stared at my hand. "The day for Sadie Hawkins dance is this Saturday and I…"

"Fuck _you_," I mumbled under my breath and kept walking. He walked beside me, his long legs keeping pace.

"You're always assuming wrong," he said amused.

"Then what is it, spit it out," my patience was at its end, and my ego had turned into a puddle at my feet. My teeth bit the inside of my mouth.

"I heard that you are going to Seattle, would you like some company?" My ears must have clearly heard wrong.

"What did you say," I asked in astonishment.

"Would you mind my accompanying you to Seattle on Saturday?" He repeated slowly.

"You would be there?" I asked.

"That is the point of my accompanying you, obviously." He stared at me cautiously, maybe wondering if my brain was affected.

"And you'd do this because?"

"To be perfectly honest, Seattle was in my plans this weekend also," he said. I stared at him doubtfully. "And I doubt your truck has the will to take the trip without expiring on the way." I threw a quick glance at my truck. It really wasn't in any condition to do anything but the basic, but I wasn't about to let him know that.

"She's sturdier than she looks."

"She?" he asked. He shook his head amused by the fact I had selected a gender. "Maybe, but I still doubt _she_ will make it to Seattle and back on one tank of gas. It is very wrong of you to waste unnecessary gas, when it's a limited resource."

Shaking my head in disbelief I said the first thing that came to my mind. "I don't get you, Edward." He smiled at my mention of his name. "First you don't want to associate with me as if I had the black plague, now you want to accompany me to Seattle. Do you make any sense?"

"You have no idea how much I would love to be you _friend,_" he said. He watched as I licked my lips. The late bell rang making me realize we had stopped moving and I was now late for my first class. Edward paid no attention to the blaring noise of the school bell. "It would be more sensible if I did stay away from you," he said. "But I'm tired of being sensible. What have you decided about Seattle?"

He stared down at me. "Yes," I managed to breathe. He smiled that breathtaking smile that left me dizzy.

"I assure you, I _am_ dangerous," he said. "You should head to class." He turned swiftly and soon disappeared around a corner. My feet stood planted to that spot, until it started to rain. _"I am dangerous."_ It was the truth, and that fact made him that much more desirable. My plans for Seattle had never been more important.

_I hope people aren't intimidated by long chapters. I didn't realize how long my chapters really are. _


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Blood Type

When I walked into the English building, breathless and sweating slightly, Mr. Mason was in the middle of his lesson. The class grew silent and everyone turned to stare at me.

"Isabella, please take your seat," Mr. Mason said. I slinked to my seat as quickly as my legs would allow. "As I was saying," Mr. Mason continued. "William Shakespeare was a man with strong convictions…"

I looked around for Mike, who usually sat next to me, but didn't see him. He must still be angry with me about the dance thing, I thought miserably. Then I wondered if I was so conceited as to think his absence was due to me. Mr. Mason drone on with his lesson, making me wish I had stayed in bed. The minute the bell rung I ran to the door, not even stopping to jot down the homework assignment written on the blackboard. No sooner had I crossed the threshold than Mike looped his arm around mine, with Eric right behind him looking sulky. They quickly drew me out of view of the English building.

"Why did you guy's skip out on English class?" I asked.

"I'm failing Mason's class miserably," Eric answered. "The whole Shakespeare thing isn't something I'm interested in. I needed a morning off, Mike was shanghaied."

"I'm into the Shakespeare thing," I told him. "I can tutor you." He wrinkled his nose at the suggestion.

"No thanks," he said. "I'm good."

"What did I miss?" Mike said.

"Nothing important," I said happily. Mike didn't seem to harbor any resentment about yesterday, I was glad we could still be friends.

"Hey I wanted to ask you..." he began but Jessica bumped into us and he went silent.

"Hey guys," she called as she passed us.

"What?" I prompted.

"I'll tell you later," he said with a shake of his head. I stared at him uncertainly but dropped the conversation. If it was something that could wait then it couldn't be that important.

As Mike and Eric walked me to my next class I thought back to how my day had begun. Had Edward Cullen really asked to join me on my trip? Had I agreed to let him come? It all seemed like a far away fantasy. A dream, something I had imagined. Anxiously I waited for the lunch period, my eyes constantly on my watch, willing its hands to tick down time faster. Jessica noticed my jittery nerves as she walked beside me to the Cafeteria.

"The food isn't _that _good," she muttered loudly. "What's gotten into you?"

"Why do you ask?" I said craning my neck to look over the heads of the kids in front of us.

"You're practically ready to make a hole in the wall," she told me. "Is there someone you're looking for?" she asked eyeing me speculatively.

"No," I lied, not wanting her to get the wrong impression. She looked at me from the corner of her eye distrustfully. It appeared as if Jessica would never fully believe I wasn't interested in Mike in a romantic way.

As we squeezed through the cafeteria doors my eyes went to the Cullen table. To my disappointment Edward Cullen wasn't among the others. He probably went home or something, I thought dejected. Jessica started babbling about Mike and the dance but I was too lost in my own gloominess to really pay attention. Having lost my appetite I picked up a can of Dr. Pepper, paid for it, and jumped out of line.

"That's all you're having?" Jessica asked me, eyeing the can in my hands.

"My stomach is feeling a little queasy," I told her.

When we reached the table I set the can in front of me and propped my head in my hands. Minutes later Jessica tapped me on the shoulder, "I think Edward Cullen is staring at you." It took a second for the name to filter through my melancholic state, "what did you say?"

"Edward Cullen," she said raising her finger to point in his direction. "He's sitting alone today, isn't that weird?"

My eyes followed the direction her finger was pointing. There sat Edward, his arms draped across his muscular chest, a smile curbing on his lovely lips, staring straight back at me. His hand raised and he crooked his long finger for me to join him and winked. I was in too much shock to notice that my mouth had fallen open.

"I guess _Edward Cullen_ wants _you_ to join him, lucky," Jessica said.

"Yeah, he wants _me_," I told her with satisfaction and I rose from my seat scooping my can off the table. From the corner of my eye I saw Mike's conversation with Tyler seize and his gaze followed me as I walked toward Edward.

"Would you like to sit with me today?" he asked. I sat down gingerly, aware that the whole of the cafeteria was turned in our direction. His face remained calm as he readjusted himself on his seat. This all felt very strange. He looked at me, expectant, as if I had been the one to call him from across the room.

As he wasn't starting the conversation, I ventured into it first. "What made you decide to seat alone? You're usually with your family."

"You," was his simple reply.

"I can't see how I influenced you to seat by yourself," I told him wrapping my arms across my chest in indignation.

"Of course you can't," he said leaning slowly towards me. "I'll explain it to you then, you're the fire that brought down the forest.

"Alright?" I said him, having no clue what he was talking about.

"Confused?" he asked.

"Supremely," I told him.

"Good." My eyes rolled in their sockets. I was exasperated with incognito answers and riddles. Had this been his purpose in calling me over? To confuse me until I wasn't sure which way was up or down? Suddenly he peered over my shoulder, "Seems as if you're friends are not very happy you decided to join me." I resisted the temptation to look behind me.

"It's not up to them whom I talk to or don't." My eyes refused to be distracted, I had a hankering it was exactly the opportunity he wanted to plan his disappearing act.

"You really shouldn't have come to me. I may not return you." His eyes search my face for an indication that what he just said had upset me. When he was sure I wasn't going to faint he raised his eyebrow and said, "I'm mildly surprised. I thought that would make you break out in a cold sweat at the very least."

"You were wrong," I told him leaning closer towards him to show just how brave I truly was. If only he knew that was exactly what I wanted. "Are you done ignoring me now?" I asked.

"I did a very bad job ignoring you, but yeah, I'm done," he told me with a slow crooked smile. "You have no idea how exhausting it was to stay away from you. It took all my energy and concentration. Let the fates control our destiny now, I am done interfering."

"I'm glad," I said. 

"You shouldn't be," he stared seriously back at me.

"You are such an enigma Edward," I huffed. "I can't make you out at all."

"You shouldn't try," he said.

"Yeah," I said. "Anyway are we…friends." The word "friend" sounded so inadequate. I wanted him as so much more than just a friend.

"_Friend_…" he repeated. A thrill went through me at the tone he used. It made me feel as if "friends" wasn't the term he would have used either. "Yes, I can try to be you're friend. A word of warning though, I'm not so good with the friendship thing."

"I'll keep that in mind," I told him.

"You should, I sometimes fear you don't listen to me as closely as you ought. You don't seem to possess intellect enough to stay away from me, where is your preservative instinct?"

"You've called me stupid so many times I'll start to believing it soon," I said.

"I apologize for that," he said slowly. "My liberal use of the word shouldn't make you doubt you're ability. If it's any consolation I am the one who is incapable of reasoning."

"Apology accepted," I said ignoring the last part. "I'm relived you stopped being so hard headed."

"Surprisingly I am too."

My hands wrapped around the can of Dr. Pepper, which I had forgotten I had brought with me. I uncapped it and took a long drink to soothe my dry throat. _How unbelievable this all seemed,_ I thought to myself. Edward Cullen was unbelievable, like a mythical creature, an imp or an elf. He couldn't be real, there was just no way possible. There was that air of fantasy about him. And if he wasn't human, what was he?

"You always get this look when you're deep thought," he said. "Your forehead scrunches up and you lower lip pouts out. It makes me wonder what you're thinking."

His warm gaze penetrated mine as if he were trying to siphon my thoughts through my eyes.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "I would give anything to know."

"I'm strangely intrigued by what you are?" I told him. His face became stoic, and his eyes turned as hard as stone.

"And what in your opinion am I?" he asked with icy tone.

"Well I'm not sure yet," I said, mildly aware of the sudden drop in temperature.

"You must have some idea," he said. "Can't you tell me?"

I had a sudden thought about a comic book page, featuring The Man of Steel. "I'd tell you but then you'd laugh at me, and then I'd have to kill you."

"Tell me, please," he said leaning forward, his hooded eyes looking down at me. He was so near, I was tempted to lean in and close the small distance between our lips.

"I'm immune to your charm," I lied.

"That's one of my pet peeves, did you know that," he said. My eyes narrowed infinitesimally.

"Oh, I can see why that would be one of your pet peeves," I retorted sarcastically. "That's one of mine too. I mean how annoying would it be to not know what someone's thinking, especially a mysterious person, who keeps blindsiding you."

His eyes shifted slightly to the right, breaking their tight hold on me and his upper lip curled up, but he remained silent.

It was the quiet that irked me most of all, the fact that he didn't defend his actions. My mouth developed a mind of its own and I tried to dent through his invisible armor. "And even when you tried to apologize for being such a bitch after the accident, he wouldn't let you. Deciding that it's better to ignore you and make you feel like the worst person on the face of this earth. Then seducing you on a biology table, even as he protests he can't be around you, like you're a leper. Wouldn't that person feel irritated by being kept out of the loop?"

"You are surprisingly hot headed," he told me.

"I'm one of those people who don't like hypocrisy, go figure." He smiled at me, his eyes lowered to the table.

"I guess I deserved that," he said quietly. I stared at him in shock as I realized he was laughing.

"Did I say something funny?" I asked, my anger diffusing a little.

"That little boyfriend of yours is very amusing. _I'm assuming,_ by the look on his face he's wondering if he should come down here and teach me a thing or two about how to treat a lady." This made him laugh out loud.

"I don't have a boyfriend," I said coldly. "And you're probably wrong in that assumption anyway."

"I know I'm not wrong," he told me, his eyes turning hot again. "As I said once before I'm very good at _reading _faces."

"_My_ moods seem to escape your very perceptive peepers," I told him. His back straighten and he looked at me with that speculative gaze that annoyed me so much.

"It appears so," he told me. "And I must know the cause of that," he muttered.

I looked down, unable to withstand the power of his keen gaze. Lifting the can of soda to my lips I took a long swig.

"Why did you only get a soda?" he asked. "You don't seem like the type of person that starves herself."

"I'm not hungry," I lied, but my stomach growled at that same moment giving me away.

"Yeah, I can see that," he told me with a half smile. My stomach did a somersault.

"I can say the same for you," I told him gesturing at the empty table before him.

"I'm alright for now," he said. His eyes glazed over as if his mind was miles away and he shrugged and smiled half-heartedly.

There was something in the way he shifted on his seat that made me very nervous. His face clouded over with some unknown expression and I gulped deeply. That strange feeling that he would disappear if I were to close my eyes came crashing down on me.

"Are you thinking about ignoring me again?" I asked. My hands clenched under the table. He looked up at my face, his eyes narrow.

"Would you like me to?" he asked back.

"I'd prefer to know. Just give me a heads up, okay."

"If the necessity ever arises for such a thing, you shall be the first to know," he chuckled softly.

"Thanks," I said bitterly, knowing he was making fun of me.

"If I'm doing you that favor, isn't it only fair that I get a favor too," he said.

"Alright," I told him.

"What are some of your ideas?" he asked. "About what I am I mean."

My skin felt cold and my palms started to sweat. I could feel my heart pick up, beating like a drum. That was definitely not something I wanted to talk about. He would probably think I'm some kind of crazy person, believing in fantasy characters.

"I'd rather not," I told him without meeting his gaze.

"You already agreed," he reminded me.

The top row of my teeth bit down on my lower lip mercilessly. This was the last time I agreed to anything without knowing what it is first.

"I'll be good," he said, so innocently I almost believed him.

"Yeah, right," I scoffed. "You'll just laugh at me."

"I promise I won't laugh," he said leaning back in his chair. "Please, tell me."

"Well, it's dumb really. Every time I think about you, I get a mental image of Superman or The Flash or something," I said feebly. From across the room, there was a loud bark and I turned perplexed to see Emmett Cullen in suppressed peals of laughter, Jasper and Rosalie stared at him disapprovingly. I quickly turned back to Edward afraid this would be the perfect time for him to escape but he just sat unmoving staring at me with an expression of amusement.

"That is so not funny," I said.

"How uninspired," he said. "I thought you'd be more imaginative than that."

"You thought wrong," I said. _Good thing I didn't tell him about the imp thing,_ I thought.

"You're way far off the mark," he said happily.

"I guess I won't see you flying around in a blue spandex suit and red cape any time soon," I said.

"Nope, and thankfully kryptonite doesn't affect me either," he laughed. His laugh always made me smile.

"Don't worry I'll figure you out," I said half jokingly. He instantly sobered, it was as if someone had held an invisible scissor to his vocal cords and severed them.

"Don't try to," he warned.

"Were back to that again are we," I said. "What is your deep dark secret Edward?"

"I'm not always good, I'm not like superman," he said. "I'm the villain. Like Bizzaro or Lex Luther. I'm the bad guy." He tried to smile but it held no warmth and didn't reach his eyes.

"You don't see yourself through the eyes of someone who cares about you," I told him. "You may believe that you're the "bad guy," but to me you're just the person who saved my life. That's pretty heroic don't you think."

"I'm dangerous, Bella," he said.

"I know that," I said. "But dangerous doesn't necessarily mean evil."

"Why aren't you afraid then?" he asked ignoring my statement.

"Because I know deep inside you would never do anything to hurt me, or anyone," I told him.

"You're wrong," he said. I lowered my eyes to the table and tried not to let the sadness take over me. _Was I wrong?_ The usual din of the students seemed to fade as we sat in silence and soon I noticed that the cafeteria was slowly emptying. Had the bell ran? I asked myself. It must have but as always Edward distracted me to the point of insanity.

"Oh!" I yelped. "Did the bell ring?"

He nodded slowly, and leaned back in his chair. I stared at him, not being able to comprehend why he was so relaxed when I was panicking.

"Well get up, don't just sit there," I told him.

"Class will be fine without me for today," he told me.

"Are you serious?"

"Completely," he said.

"I'm going," I warned but my feet stayed planted in the same spot.

"Are you?" he said. "See you, then."

The late bell ran at that instant, sending me into panic mode. I dashed for the exit, where I stopped and looked over my shoulder to find that he had vanished from his seat. _Just like a puff of smoke,_ I thought and ran out into the rain, hoping I wasn't too late.

Luckily when I arrived in class Mr. Banner was nowhere in sight. I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly went to my chair. Mike and Angela stared at me from their seats, both with distinctive looks on their faces. Mike I knew was angry, but Angela looked worried.

Just then Mr. Banner walked in carrying a large box. When he had put the box down in front of Angela, he waved his hands over his head to get the attention of the rest of the students. The class slowly quieted as we all wondered what the box held. As soon as the room was silent he opened it and pulled out a couple of smaller white boxes then directed Angela to pass them around.

He slapped on a pair of white rubber gloves. The way they snapped against his wrist as he pulled them on made me very nervous. I had the strangest feeling needles would be involved, something I truly disliked.

"What you have in front of you right now is a blood typing kit," he said looking around at all the tables to make sure there was one for everyone. "This," he continued holding up a small white card with four squares on it. "Is an indicator card, make sure all of you have one." There was a lot of shuffling as people opened their boxes and pulled their cards out. The atmosphere had gotten electric, everyone around me smiled and whispered to their neighbors awaiting further instructions from Mr. Banner. I squirmed in my chair uncomfortable and slightly sick. Mr. Banner had given us a_ blood_ typing kit. Just thinking about it made me nauseous.

"I have here a four prong applicator." This time he held up what I could only describe as nearly toothless hair pick. But it wasn't until he lifted the micro-lancet, which I recognized instantly that my nerves got the better of me. It was as if someone had put cotton in my ears, the rest of Mr. Banner's words were drown out by a sudden swishing. I leaned my head into my hand unable to keep it straight any longer.

"Don't start before I come to you with the dropper of water," he said and walked over to Angela's table. She lifted her micro-lancet slowly and with a slight grimace pricked her middle finger. My sight started to get blurry around the corners and I knew that if I didn't speak up soon I would faint. My forehead was beading with sweat. "Put…blood… on each prong." Mr. Banner's voice didn't seem able to reach my ears properly. I lifted a shaky hand up but his back was to me and he was unable to see it. Weakness prevented me from leaving it up and it slumped back on the desk along with my head.

"The Red Cross is having a blood drive," I managed to hear as he got closer. "If you're interested in donating…" he droned on. The rest of my classmate's giggles and complaints sounded far off and distorted. Mr. Banner drew over to my desk looking concerned.

"Are you alright Miss Swann?" he asked.

"No, not really," I mumbled. "My blood type is A+, can I skip this?"

"This assignment isn't for the faint hearted," he told the rest of the class and chuckled. It was another way of saying I was a coward, if I'd had the strength to stand up I would have… I don't know what I would have done and it didn't matter because I couldn't stand up anyway.

"I'll take Bella to the nurses' office," Mike offered to Mr. Banner and proceeded to slip his arm around my waist, hoisting me up. My eyes remained shut. I was sure to faint if I caught just the smallest glimpse of a micro-lancet. With Mike holding all of my weight we stumbled our way to the door. Behind us Mr. Banner settled the class and continued the lesson.

When we were far enough away and my legs felt more solidified I asked Mike to put me down. My body slumped to the ground like a sack of rocks.

"Bella, are you alright?" he asked holding his arms out to me.

"I've died," I told him. He laughed nervously as if unsure it was the right thing to do. "Why didn't I ditch when I had the chance?" I lamented.

"Why, indeed," said a soft, buttery voice above me.

"I'm in hell," I said to no one in particular. "I've died and now I'm in hell."

"I would say that was true, but then there's no reason for your being in hell."

I remained quiet hoping he would just leave. Instead he leaned down and passed his cool hand over my clammy forehead. The innocent touch sent a thrill down my spine. "What happened?" He asked Mike.

"We had a Blood Typing assignment and she got sick," Mike responded in a voice that clearly read it wasn't any of his business. "Mr. Banner told me to get her to the nurse's office," he told Edward side stepping him and picking me up again.

"No," I protested. "Put me back down." My head was swimming and my stomach was queasy. Mike couldn't hold my weight and the rocking made me feel as if I were on a boat.

Suddenly I was in a different pair of arms, ones that felt solid and strong. "I'll take her," Edward said rushing with me to the nurse's office. The speed with which he moved astounded me. "Stop," I heard Mikes shout from far away.

"Blood makes you faint," he said amused. I kept silent, concentrating on not throwing up. In what felt like seconds we were walking through the door of the nurse's office.

I heard a ruffling of skirts and then a high-pitched voice asked, "What happened?"

"We had a blood typing lesson in biology," he said as if that should say it all. I managed to open my eyes and gaze resentfully up at him.

"I knew that blood typing class was a bad idea," she said moving to a door and opening it for Edward and me. He placed me down gently on an old green cot. I draped my arm across my face hoping that would ease the sick feeling. When I felt that the wall had stopped moving I pried my eyes open again, Edward was leaning against the wall looking at me with bright-eyed enthusiasm. I felt weak and powerless, like one of those damsels in distress, needing a prince in a white horse to come and save her. I've never needed anyone and I've never felt helpless. The smile on his lips made me feel as if he was enjoying this and that made me angry.

"Don't look at me like that," I told him.

"I don't know what you're referring to," he said innocently. "But just out of curiosity does this happen to you a lot?"

"Yeah, I go around sniffing bottles of blood just hoping some hot guy will take compassion on me when I faint," I said sarcasm dripping from every word.

"You think I'm hot?" he asked suppressing a smile.

"Not the point," I told him draping my arm across my face again, but this time out of embarrassment. All the blood in my head pooled in my cheeks, even my ears burned.

"Thanks for bringing her," the old woman said staring at me. "She'll be alright with me though," she continued turning to Edward. "I think you can go back to class."

"I was told I had to stay with her," he told the nurse. She stared at him intently for a long moment but something in Edward's expression convinced her to let him stay. Secretly I was thrilled that he was here with me. She handed me an ice pack and I placed it on my clammy forehead, "just sit tight and rest," she said to me, then turning to Edward she said, "I'll be back in a minute to check on you." I almost smiled at the implication behind her words. My eyes turned to Edward as she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

"Thanks," I said.

"For what?" he asked perplexed.

"You came to my rescue yet again," I said. "It seems like I always need someone to save me these days. I'm not usually this pathetic."

"I like rescuing you," he told me in an amused tone. I smiled at that.

"Next time I'm taking your advice," I said.

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"I'll skip biology more often," I said. "It seems to be better for my health."

He laughed deeply. As I was feeling better I decided to sit up from the cot. Edward stared at me anxiously, watching for any signs of a relapse. I tried to assure him I was better but he still looked at me warily.

"By the way Mike was carrying you I thought he had attacked you," Edward told me.

"Oh, I forgot all about Mike," I said. "He's probably mad I ditched him."

"I pretty much pried you away from him. He can't be angry at something that wasn't your fault," Edward said. "I'm sure all his anger will be directed at me."

"I guess so," I said knowing that I was deceiving myself. Right then the door opened and Mike walked in supporting Lee Stephens with the nurse behind him. I quickly jumped down from the cot; the cold press the nurse gave me slid to the floor. Mike propped Lee, who seemed to have turned into Jell-O, on it. The nurse looked at me. "Are you feeling better?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said knowing any minute the coppery smell of blood would reach my nostrils. It was embarrassing enough to have almost fainted once. I wasn't about to go for seconds. I dashed for the door, which Edward quickly opened and we both walked out of the room without a backward glance.

I exhaled in a gust, "that was close. I hate that smell."

"What smell," Edward asked.

"The smell of blood makes me sick," I told him. "That and needles."

"And what does blood smell like to you?" he asked curiously.

"The usual copper, rust and salt. But sometimes there is another smell under that one, it smells… sickly sweet," I said. His usually pale complexion became even paler.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I looked at his pallor.

He shook his head, "nothing," he told me. Mike walked out of the office a couple of minutes later. He stared sulkily at me then shot a venomous glance at Edward, "I'm glad you're better," he said turning to me again.

"Thanks," I told him. "What happened to Lee?"

"He couldn't hack it," he told me pointedly. I had a feeling that was a jab at me but I ignored it.

"Come on, I'll walk you back to class," he said stepping in front of Edward.

"Yeah, like I'm going back in there," I said. "I'll have to make a bee line back here." He ran his hand through his spiky head and glared at me, "whatever." He looked at me for a minute as if deliberating something and then said, "I checked the weather channel and we finally get a break this weekend. Do you still want to go to La Push?"

I brightened, "yeah." I threw a quick glance at Edward who was standing motionless a little bit away from us. Mike followed my gaze and his lip curled slightly. "In front of my dad's store, at ten o'clock," he said glaring at Edward as if to let him know he wasn't invited. I had a mental image of Edward Cullen among the waves of a sunny beach.

"You're going to Gym?" Mike asked snapping me out of my forbidden daydream. I blanched at the mention of my worst subject, in all the confusion I had forgotten about it. "I'm not sure," I told him honestly. "Fine," he spat. "See you tomorrow, then." He turned abruptly and walked out into the rain.

"Don't worry about Gym," Edward said moving to me. He quickly walked to the nurse who had some how passed me without my noticing. "Bella still doesn't feel very well," he told her gesturing at me. She looked over, and I gave her my most convincing sick face. I wasn't sure if she bought it, but after a couple of seconds she nodded and walking to her desk she gave Edward a signed dismissal slip. "I hope you feel better Bella," she called to me as Edward ushered me out.

"You make a lousy actress," he whispered down at me.

"I've never professed to be good at it," I said. I turned to him and extended my hand, he looked at it strangely. I lowered it feeling foolish, and instead waved slightly then turned in the direction of my car. A sharp tug stopped me in my tracks and I turned to see Edward holding on to my jacket with one long hand. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"What, did you think I'd let you drive in your condition?" he said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. I felt fine now. The fresh air had made the dizziness disappear. I tried to tell him this as he pulled me by my jacket to his Volvo. "I wouldn't be a gentleman if I let you go off on your own," he said. "If something were to happen then I would be to blame, and the guilt would eat me up."

"Fine," I said. "But what about my truck?"

"My sister Alice will take care of it." I blanched as I pictured Alice with a huge mallet destroying my Chevy. He noticed, "relax she won't run it off a hill. Besides me, she is one of the best drivers in our family."

"That's comforting," I muttered remembering Edward's lead foot.

"So you're going to La Push," Edward said while he opened the car door for me.

"Yeah, do you want to go with me?" I asked excitedly.

"Mike didn't make it sound like an open invitation," he told me slipping into the drivers' side.

"He's got to lighten up sometime," I said fed up with Mike's attitude. "I'm inviting you."

"That's okay," he said. "I'm doing something tomorrow anyway." A strong sense of disappointment hit me like a wave. It would have made the trip a million times better if he would have come.

"Thank you for the invitation though," he said smiling at me.

The inside of the car was warmer than I thought and then it occurred to me that perhaps this is where he had been hiding all this time. My wet palms rested on my lap, it felt wrong to desecrate his Italian leather seats with my wet clothes. His whole car made me feel like if I touched it something expensive would break off. Music drifted from the speakers and I leaned in to listen to the melody.

"Is it bothering you?" he asked.

"No, I love Debussy. Clair De Lune is one of my favorites of his," I told him without taking my eyes off the speakers.

He reached over and turned up the music so I didn't have to lean any longer.

"You know I have to admit it's strange to me that a seventeen year old would be interested in classical music."

"I could say the same to you, or what your not seventeen," I said.

"I'm not your typical seventeen year old," he responded.

"Well, neither am I," I said.

He pulled out of the spot flawlessly and I caught a glimpse of my abandoned truck as we passed by it. I was expecting the rush as he sped down the highway but apparently he was being careful today. Perhaps he had gotten a speeding ticket.

"Don't be offended but you don't look like your father," he said glancing at me briefly. My mouth turned up at the corners in a wry smile, he wasn't the first to point this out.

"Why would I be offended at that?" I told him. He shrugged and kept his eyes on the road. "You're right though I don't, I only have his eyes and hair color. I look more like my mom physically, but our personalities couldn't more different."

"How so?" he asked interested.

"She's a hippie, you know a flower child," I said. "'Love, life and liberty,' that's all she ever preached. Unfortunately she was not so big on paying the bills on time and restocking the fridge, and we ate a lot of take out."

"Do you resent her?" He asked.

"No of course not, I wouldn't be the person I am if she hadn't been the person she was," I told him honestly. "But I did have to pick up a lot of her slack. When a bill was overdue I would call the collection agency and arrange payment and when there was no food, I would walk to the supermarket and buy groceries. It made me grow up very fast."

"Have you ever told her how you feel?" he asked.

"No point, it would just cause her unnecessary pain," I said. "It's done and over with, no sense in drudging up the past."

"But what about your step-father?" he asked.

"Phil is not my step-father," I spat disgusted. "If she's happy with him, I can't destroy that."

"You're right. You do pick up her slack." My eyes snapped up as he pulled in to my driveway.

"Where here?" I asked shocked.

"Surprised?"

"Actually yes," I said. He laughed at my tone and expression.

"I wonder," he mused. I looked over at him unable to hide the curiosity that his voice sparked in me. "Would your mother be as understanding?"

"What do you mean?" I asked as some unknown thrill shot through me.

"Would you're mother feel the need to step in if she thought someone wasn't the best for you, or would she let it go because that person made you happy?" He asked directing his gaze at me.

"I don't see how it applies," I told him. "She _is_ my mom. She has a responsibility to take care of me."

"And yet she married this Phil," he said. I had no way of responding to that, he was right. If my mom was more of a parent she would have taken my advice, instead she married Phil without consulting me. But was I being fair, should I come between her and the man she loved, no matter how disgusting he was? I shook my head softly to dispel the unanswerable questions, and turned back to Edward.

"Since you seem fit to be the Spanish Inquisition," I said. "Can I ask _you_ a question? He remained silent and his hands clenched around the steering wheel. "Oh come on its only fair."

"Fine," he said relenting.

"I know the Cullen's adopted you," I said.

"Yes," he verified.

"What about your parent's?" It somehow felt wrong to ask this question. It felt like I was peeking into a private pain I had no business prying into.

His tone of voice confused me, he sounded relieved this was the topic I had chosen. "They died, many years ago. I hardly remember their faces."

"Oh," I said. "I didn't mean to bring that up. I apologize."

"It's quite alright," he said lifting a hand. "My mother and father are Carlisle and Esme now."

"It sounds like you love them very much." I looked at his face as he stared at the curtain of water that obscured us from view.

"I do," he told me. "They're truly good hearted."

"They must be, having adopted so many of you, and so young," I said.

"Speaking of which," he said. "They aren't going to be too happy if they're caught out in the pouring rain without me there." He gestured to his dashboard clock, as it blinked the time back at us. How had it gotten so late?

"Can I ask one last thing?" I said. He nodded cautiously, "what will you be doing tomorrow and can I talk you out of it and tempt you to go to La Push with me instead?"

He brightened immediately, "My brother and I are going camping and no you cannot, but have fun," he said as he leaned over and popped the latch of the door for me. I pouted, disappointed. "And one last thing," he said as my foot made contact with the wet ground. "Take care of yourself, don't be a daredevil. I'm not going to be there to rescue you this time."

My eyebrow rose in disbelief. I slammed his car door more forcefully than I'd intended, then made a run for my door, clutching my school bag to my chest in order to keep it safe from the rain. His car swiftly turned around and I caught a glimpse of his face as he sped off, he was smiling.

_I'm sorry but I had to point this out, E. Nigma. Edward Nigma. LOL. Okay done being a nerd._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Scary Stories

After being with Edward, my house felt lonely. My father wasn't home, which told me he was still pouring countless hours on this case. I walked over to the kitchen table and dropped my school bag on it, then to the fridge and began digging around for lunchmeat. I'd have to make myself a sandwich tonight. It was still raining buckets outside and I wondered if I would hear the noise of my truck as Alice brought it back. I pictured Alice as she lumbered over in my ancient Chevy, it didn't seem plausible. She and my truck didn't belong in the same world. In between re-reading Macbeth and eating my ham and cheese sandwich, I ran to my window to see if it had arrived. I was surprised the next time I peeked to find that the Chevy was parked perfectly on my driveway. Alice Cullen was nowhere in sight.

I was disappointed I hadn't gotten to see her. She and Edward felt more like a dream than reality, I wanted to make sure she was real and not just a figment of my imagination. As I stood by the window, staring dumbfounded by my trucks miraculous appearance, the phone rang. I was glad, when I answered, to hear Angela soft voice.

"Hey, Bella," she said.

"Hey, Angela, what's up?" I asked.

"I just wanted to know if you were alright," she sounded nervous.

"Why wouldn't I be alright?" I asked.

"You don't..." she began but hesitated.

"I don't...? What?" I asked.

"Mike came back to class in a tempter telling anyone who would hear him that Edward Cullen was skipping class and that he'd dragged you off with him, then..."

"Mike said what!" I interrupted. My face grew hot with rage. Mike had crossed the line.

"Edward only gave me a ride home early because I still didn't feel well," I explained, in what I hope was a reassuring tone.

She still sounded unrelieved when she said, "Oh, okay."

I was going to skin Mike alive when I saw him. My hands were itching to curl around his throat. Accusing _me _of skipping when he had done the same thing just this morning, talk about a hypocrite. That reminded me...

"Angela?" I asked. "Do you have the homework assignment for English class?"

"Yes," she said. "I'll give it to you, hold on." She put the phone down, and I assumed she had run to her room to get her school bag. I reached over to the pad my dad kept by the phone to write down messages, and uncapped the pen next to it. Angela came back with the homework assignment and I jotted it down.

"Hey, Bella..." she began hesitantly but was interrupted yet again, this time by her mothers soft voice calling, "Angie, can you help me with something?"

"I'll be right there mom," Angela called back.

"What's wrong Angela?" I asked again with more urgency, something about her behavior wasn't right.

"Are you still going to La Push?" she asked.

"Yeah, if for nothing more than to corner Mike and strangle him," I said. I heard Angela's soft sigh down the line.

"I've got to go Bella," she said. "But I'll see you tomorrow. We need to talk."

"Alright," I told her, and then placed the phone back down on the receiver.

Suddenly I didn't feel like going to La Push anymore. Edward's refusing to come along and Mike's ever constant and now irritating jealousy made me want to skip this whole trip. But then I thought about how lonely I'd be, stuck at home with this suffocating silence, and I was curious as to what Angela needed to tell me. I picked up Macbeth and ran up to my room, then quickly changed into my favorite old gray shirt and sweat pants. Propping myself on my pillows I began to read where I left off...

That morning, a spectacular sunshiny day greeted me outside my window. Mike's meteorologist had actually gotten it right for once. It wasn't perfectly clear but at the very least it was sunny. This didn't really brighten me up thought. I was still convinced that this was going to be a horrendous day. My dad greeted me in the kitchen, the smell of his cheese omelets wafting around the room.

"I heard you and you're friends are going to La Push," he said while he slid the omelets on to a plate.

"Are you serious?" I asked astounded that something as small as an outing was considered news worth sharing.

"Small town," he said with a grin. "We have to get our entertainment somehow."

"Unbelievable," I muttered, shaking my head. He walked to the fridge while I sat down at the table and pulled my omelet towards me. He then poured me a glass of orange juice and sat down to eat. I looked over at him, noticing the purple shadows that haunted his eyes. His whole face seemed tired and sad. It looked as if his case wasn't going very well.

"Dad, I'm worried about you," I told him. "What time did you make it home yesterday?" He looked up at me in silence for just a second.

"I'm fine," he said. "This is my job."

"I didn't hear you come in," I persisted.

"It was pretty late," he admitted. "You were already asleep."

"You can't keep doing this," I said. "Isn't there someone else you can delegate this case too." He set his fork down and took a swig of his orange juice.

"Bella, the police station is really small," he told me. "I can't just hand over cases because I don't feel like working them. It doesn't work that way."

"Fine," I grumbled defeated. "But... try to take care of yourself, at least. You look like you haven't slept in days."

"The old bags are pretty bad," he said touching the soft skin under his eyes. He laughed at his joke but it sounded hollow, not like his usual husky laughter, but like a bad attempt at faking it. He tried to hide his awkward laugh with a coughing fit.

"Went down the wrong tube," he said without meeting my eyes. "Don't worry about me, Bells." He quickly hopped off his chair and put his empty plate in the kitchen sink.

"Off to work," he said.

"Dad today is Saturday," I pointed out. "Take a day off, go fishing with one of your friends or something." That made him hesitate, I was a witness to how much he loved to fish, it was one of the many "fun" things we did when I came over. I just don't understand how seating over a fishing rod for hours waiting for a fish stupid enough to take the bait is fun, but if it gave him a day off I wasn't going to argue it.

"I guess a day off wouldn't hurt," he said. I smiled, relieved. I was glad that he hadn't fought me. Deep down he knew he was working himself to the bone. I ate the rest of my breakfast in silence while my dad rummaged in the coat closet for his tackle box. A little before ten, I came out to my truck, dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans, my favorite ACDC t-shirt, and old pair of converse sneakers. I also carried a rain jacket just in case the weather turned ugly, which was the case most of the time. My dad waved at me from the door of the house, tackle box in hand.

"Have fun!" I called as I slipped inside my Chevy and slammed the heavy door behind me.

"You too!" he called back over the loud rumble of my truck. I nodded and pulled out of my driveway.

When I got to the meeting place everyone seemed to be there already. Newton Outfitters store parking lot was jammed full of cars and people. "Am I late?" I asked Angela who was trying to shove a collapsible chair in the already packed back of Mikes Suburban.

"No," she responded. "Tyler isn't here yet."

I wondered to myself how many people Mike had invited. It looked like the whole school had shown up. _Except Edward Cullen,_ I thought miserably. With my help Angela managed to shove the chair into a small space, between a cooler and a duffel bag. She frowned as she looked down at it, "Do you think it'll get squished?" She asked.

I tilted my head to the side to get a better view at the poor squished chair. The truth was it would probably never function correctly again, but I could tell that's not what Angela wanted to hear. "I'm sure it won't," I lied. She stared at it doubtfully for a second then shut the door. Angela pulled me as far away from the Suburban as she could, her face serious, "the reason I called you last night was..." Once again she was left with the sentence hanging on her mouth, this time the interruption came in the form of Jessica and Lauren who had spotted us and stepped in front of her.

"Hey, Bella," Jessica greeted with unusual cheer, while Lauren simply sneered at me. "So...?" she asked.

"So… What?" I asked back.

"Is it true you fainted?" she asked. I looked over at Lauren who was meticulously studying her manicure.

"I didn't faint," I told her. "I just don't do well with blood." She stared at me in astonishment, as if I had denied her a rare treat.

"So you're not pregnant like everyone is saying?" Lauren wheezed.

"Pregnant?" I said in alarm. My eyes immediately focused on Angela, who stood behind Jessica, her face glowing crimson. If my dad got wind of this rumor I'd be locked in my room for years with a chastity belt. Did this town think I was going to end up just like my mother, pregnant in her teens?

"It's all over the school," Angela said. "They say you're pregnant with Edward Cullen's baby."

"See," Jessica said turning to Lauren. "I told you."

Lauren simply shrugged. "Edward Cullen is a freak anyway," she said. "So why _did _he call you over?" She asked.

I gave her my best fake smile, "I don't think that's any of your business." She shrugged again and walked away.

"You did seem kind of angry when he was talking to you," Jessica fished as we walked back to the Suburban.

"He has a tendency to talk in riddles, it annoyed me," I said.

"It was so strange," Angela said. "He never sits alone. He's always with his family."

"I guess so," I said, not wanting to tell them I was the reason for that change.

Jessica quickly got bored with the conversation and walked off to find Lauren. I guessed she was frustrated because I wasn't sharing the juicy details. She wanted gossip that was worth spreading. I think that if I told her that Edward had a third eye in the middle of his forehead, even thought she knew it wasn't true, she would turn around and swear to everyone she had seen it.

The worst part of this day was the hope that Edward would change his mind. I pictured his Volvo driving up to Newton's. I couldn't help my eyes roaming around to see if maybe his car was parked among the others. All the while knowing if it were I would've already seen it. How could I miss him this much? I wondered. Was I insane? Part of me couldn't wait for Monday when I would see him again. His presence exhilarated me.

Mike called over to us as he walked with Tyler right behind him. "This is a nice turnout, huh?" He told me when he reached us. "People have too much faith in your weather predicting skills," Tyler said. I stared at Mike, my eyes narrow with rage. He looked confused for a minute, then his eyes widen and his face drooped in shame.

"Can I talk to you for a minute," I said not giving him time to answer. I pulled him away from Tyler.

"What did you do?" I asked him, accentuating each word.

"I didn't start the stupid pregnant rumors, someone else did," he said. "I've been trying to set the record straight." He looked so sad, that it was hard for the anger to stay focused. I tried to hold it in, anger was important for this to come across, but it was slipping like water through cupped hands. "I'm sorry I acted like such a jerk," he said.

I stared down at my hands, and nodded. How could I not forgive him, he was my friend. He pulled me in for a quick hug and then ran back to Tyler. My mind was swimming with the questions I hadn't asked. _What do you have against Edward? Why can't you understand you and I can only be friends? Why are you being such hypocrite? _But they all seemed insignificant to the fact that Mike _was_ my friend, and I did care about him. That he had been trying to squash, no matter how futilely, the rumors that had sprung up about me, and that he apologized. I wasn't completely blind to how Mike felt about me and knew sooner or later that would spring up in a nasty way, but I hoped that when that catastrophic day came our friendship would survive.

When I returned to the group, I noticed it had multiplied. Lauren now clung to Tyler, shielding him from me slightly. Jessica was next to Mike, laughing at some joke I knew couldn't be as funny as she was making it seem, and Angela stood next to Eric, who was far shorter than the she was, they looked mismatched. Suddenly I felt lonely, everyone was with someone and I was alone.

"I think all of us can fit in my Suburban," Mike said. "It will be easier than having to find parking for all our cars. We can leave them here and pick them up later." Everyone nodded, Jessica more vigorously than the rest. She shot him adoring glances. It was funny to imagine, if Edward were here he too would have squeeze in next to me. Edward's muscular body pressed against mine was enough to make me want to hyperventilate.

"Bella," said Mike breaking me out of my reverie. "You can ride shotgun." I peered up at him and noticed Jessica crestfallen face. "I...I can just..." Before I could protest Mike pulled me along beside him and opened the door for me. I slid into the front passenger seat aware that Jessica was staring cuttingly at the back of my head. It was awkward to be singled out, more embarrassing still to hear the shrieks and complains as everyone fought for space, while I sat comfortable. Around us, the other cars packed up too, it seemed Mike hadn't been the only one with this idea.

"Mike," Tyler said in a strained voice. "This isn't going to work, dude." I looked over at Mike who looked at a lost on how the situation could get remedied. Suddenly inspiration seized me.

"Why doesn't Jessica sit in the front with me," I said. Mike looked at me in disbelief.

"Yeah," he answered without enthusiasm. Jessica climbed over people in her hurry to get up front with us. "Move it," I heard her say to Eric, who had yelped when she stepped on his hand. Without Jessica in the back the group started to get more comfortable, and a quiet chatter began. They passed chips back and forth to each other and laughed at jokes I couldn't hear.

The parking lot had grown empty of people as we arranged ourselves. Only another packed car and us where left. Mike eased out of the parking spot, the heft of our combined weight making the car tilt awkwardly.

Jessica happily chattered to Mike, while I was content to drown her noise and stare out the window. It was hours before the highway, with its thick wall of green on either side, melted away, transforming into the sedate waves of the ocean. I rolled the window down, and set my head on my arms. The sun warmed my skin where it hit it. I closed my eyes and tried to pretend I was back in California, the blazing heat surrounding me. But instead of the comfort that used to provide me, it left me feeling hollow. California had lost its luster, that urge that drew me to it was gone.

The scenery turned familiar as we neared our destination. My father had taken me to different places in the La Push reservation. He loved to fish there, claiming that the waters were magical. In a way I agreed with him, it did feel magical here. The beauty of it took my breath away. The blue-gray waves peaked like mountains, the foamy shore that sparkled with its multihued pebbles, the bleached driftwood trees that seemed as if a giant had pulled them out of the ground and laid them carefully side-by-side. These were the things I remembered and saw now. I felt like a child again, riding with my dad in one of his many beat up cars. It felt familiar. It felt comfortable.

Mike pulled in to an available parking spot and we all got out of the car to stretch our legs. While everyone else groaned and mumbled about leg cramps, I was busy admiring the splendor all around us. A soft wind ruffled my hair and left a scent of salt under my nose. Eric, Mike and Tyler unloaded the back of the Subaru quickly. As Angela, Jessica, Lauren and I walked off ahead to find a place that wasn't too crowded.

Kids in shorts and short sleeved t-shirts tossed Frisbees around, while others sat around a boom-box blasting "Britney Spears." I wrinkled my nose at the bad taste in music and managed to convince the others to seat as far away from the boom-box kids as we could. We opted for a spot next to a couple of huge beached trees, which made perfect benches we could seat at. Angela draped her beach blanket over the log where Jessica and her sat down. I walked down to the stony shore to stare at the turbulent seas, off in the distance I could see as sea gulls flew high over the water, while pelicans opted to float among the waves and a couple of eagles swooped down and came back up burdened with their newly acquired meals.

Mike moved to my side and prodded me gently. "Come here, I want to show you something," he said taking my hand. He pulled me with him to where Eric made a circle with large rocks. "Do you want to see a driftwood fire?"

"What's a driftwood fire?" I asked interested. He leaned down to pick up a bundle of bleached white twigs and tossed them into the circle, then he pulled a chrome lighter from his cargo pants pocket and proceeded to light the bundle on fire. I stared mesmerized as the bleached twigs quickly lit up and an eerie blue flame shot forth. They danced and licked up the fragile little logs charring they're snow-white surface.

"It's beautiful," I whispered. My body leaned into the flames, wanting to touch it but knowing I'd get burned.

"I don't know what does it," he told me. "But isn't it cool?" I sat down on the thick branch of the beached tree and Mike sat next to me. "I always liked First Beach," he said. "It is the only place that reminds me of home." Mike and I had never been more in-sync than we were right this moment. We just sat in silence, listening to the flames flickering. Seconds later Tyler joined us, and then Jessica sat next to Mike and quickly captured his attention.

While the blue flames kept me entertained, Eric and the other boys were getting restless. "I'm so bored," he whined. "Lets go to the tide pools." He looked around at all of us with a hopeful expression. The tide pools, they were one of the most beautiful attractions of First Beach, one of the things I most liked about La Push. Eric swiftly gathered supporters, including myself, and Mike who hadn't seemed pleased by the idea relented and joined in too. Of course Jessica jumped on the bandwagon as soon as she realized Mike was going also and I convinced Angela to be my companion. Lauren was content to stay behind with Tyler who hadn't wanted to join our group, which was perfectly fine by me. Mike tried to quietly slip beside me, but was ensnared by Jessica instead and dragged off ahead of Angela and I.

To get to the tide pools we had to cross this particularly rocky stretch of woods. A little ways in we began to notice that the rocks were still wet from the recent rain showers, which made them a death trap. Angela and I clung to each other as we tried not to slip. "Why did I let you convince me to do this," she said without looking at me. The branches in the trees had knitted close together and the ground was getting harder to see. My sneaker skimmed the side of a particularly slippery stone and I almost lost my balance, luckily Angela was steady enough and I regained equilibrium. It was in this fashion that we finally made it to the fringe of trees and consequently the tide pools, were everyone else waited. We passed Mike who was hunched over nursing his leg. He rolled his left pant leg up and I caught a glimpse of the red scratches sprinkled across his puffy ankle. Jessica patted him tentatively as if afraid to touch him, "I'm so sorry," we heard her say. I briefly wondered what Jessica had done to Mike.

My attention was soon elsewhere though. In this part of the First Beach the shore had receded, leaving behind shallow pools of water that were filled with small variations of fish. I carefully leaned forward, being careful not to fall in, with my recent luck I'd take a header and drown in eight inches of water. Edward's words rang in my ears, "_I won't be there to save you."_ Again I fell captive to the beautiful scenery before me. Huge beds of mussels, barnacles, sea stars and anemones competed for attention with the nervous crab. And as I hopped between rocks exposed by the low tide, I felt as if I were snorkeling without being in the water. How I wished that Edward were here with me, I so wanted to share a piece of _my _world with him.

It wasn't long until all the guys were hungry and I was forced to head back with the group. Again I clung to Angela for the precarious hike back to the others. The way back felt strangely more eerie, I didn't want to fall behind, so I let go of Angela and hurried to catch up with Mike and Jessica. In my haste I didn't see the root that made me trip. My arms extended out searching for someone to help steady me, but this time there was no Angela to hold me up. I fell with a thud, skidding down several rocks that gouged deep cuts on my arms and palms. Angela caught up with me as quickly as she could manage under the circumstances. She helped me get to my feet and then wound my arm around her neck to keep me steady. I felt guilty and knew this was Karma for having ditched her.

I was glad to finally break out of the claustrophobic woods. Angela was patiently by my side while I limped my way back to the driftwood bench.

"What happened to you?" asked Lauren as I gently seated myself down.

"She fell," Angela answered. Lauren broke out into mocking peals of laughter.

"How clumsy of you!" she screeched. I stared at her, imaging her twirling a thin mustache. Lauren had officially become enemy number one.

"Are you alright?" asked a voice I didn't recognize. I turned my face to find that new people had joined us. One was muscular and very tall, with waist length, inky black straight hair and a good-humored expression. The other was smaller, less muscular with shoulder length hair of the same color. Both were extremely handsome. The taller stared at Angela with love struck eyes, while the other stared at me in concern.

"Yeah," I managed to croak. "It doesn't hurt too bad." Inside my bones were screaming in agony.

Mike leaned by the fire, a twig with a hot dog skewered at its end, which was slowly being cooked by the blue flames, in his hand. "Hey," he said when he finally noticed me. "This is Jacob Black and Embry Call," he introduced, pointing to one then the other.

"We would shake your hand," said the boy named Embry Call. "But I don't think you'd appreciate it." He gestured down at my ravaged palms. Mike's ears perked up at this, "what happened?" he asked me.

"Nothing major," I said, down playing my injuries. "I slipped, that's all."

"Yeah, you have to be a mountain goat to get past those rocks," Jacob Black chuckled. Suddenly the name became familiar.

"Hey, do you know Billy Black?" I asked him.

"Yeah," the boy said. "That's my dad."

"He and my dad are friends," I told him. "Do you know Charlie Swann?"

"Who doesn't know Chief Swann," said Embry. "Coolest cop, ever!" My mouth curled up around the corners, it was as if these boys just radiated peace and happiness.

Mike passed me a burnt hot dog on a bun smeared with ketchup and a semi-cold Mountain Dew can. I chomped on it, having just realized how hungry I truly was. Angela came to seat next to me, which made Embry very happy and he quickly drew her into conversation.

"I heard my dad talking about you," Jacob Black told me. "You just moved in with your dad right? He said your name was... Isabella?"

"Right," I said after I had swallowed my mouthful of hot dog. "But my friends call me Bella." I stared at his handsome boyish face, his skin was a warm burnt sienna and his hair looked silky and smooth. His mouth was wide and his lips thick, his eyes were dark chocolate pools, his nose straight and narrow. All in all, a pretty face, for a handsome boy.

"I remember my sisters talked about you a lot," he told me. "They said you really didn't like it here."

I didn't really remember his sisters at all, so I just nodded and took a drink of my soda to prevent awkwardness.

"They're both long gone you know," he said. "I'm the only left with the old man. Why did you come back to this water hole?"

"Missed my dad," I said not wanting to get into details. He nodded, "you're dad said he bought the truck from my dad as a gift to you," he told me. "Has it died yet?"

I laughed. "No, it's still going strong," I told him. The temperature declined drastically as the clouds rolled in front of the sun. A shiver ran down my spine as everything was consumed in a hazy shadow. I looked up to the sky and noticed it had turned an angry shade of purple. _This trip was going to come to a watery end_, I thought.

"I'm surprised," he told me. "I did a lot of work on the engine, but it's ancient."

"You worked on it?" I asked.

He puffed his chest out proudly, "yeah, I tinker with cars as a past time. I'm building myself a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit, a classic. If only I could find a master cylinder."

"I'll keep a look out for any master whatchamacallits," I told him, and watched as a slow smile crinkled the corners of his eyes.

Tyler scooted on my other side, which drew Lauren like a bear to honey.

"Jacob and you seem to be hitting it off Bella," she said. Jacob smiled at me, not realizing what Lauren was really up to. "How quickly you forget Edward Cullen."

Embry lifted up his head to stare at me. "Is Cullen your boyfriend or something?"

"She wishes," Lauren muttered low enough so only I could hear.

"He's just a friend," I told Embry. "Why, do you know him?"

"Nah, they don't come here," he told me in a harsh tone, all the cheerfulness of just a few minutes ago forgotten.

Jacob stared at Embry with an annoyed expression. I stared at Embry too, in confusion, because I sensed the hostility behind his dark eyes. The curiosity sparked inside me again, and new questions seemed to form. Why weren't the Cullen's welcomed in La Push? I knew deep down that's what Embry meant. They were banned, prohibited. As I bit down on my hot dog an idea sprung to my mind, and my eyes rounded on Jacob Black.

"It's getting a bit crowded here," I told Jacob. "Want to take a walk down the beach with me?" I leaned forward and smiled invitingly at him.

He jumped up from the log and extended his hand out for mine. I placed my small, pale hand in his great big one and felt his strength as he pulled me to my feet. I had to admit, this kid had a certain appeal. We both walked side by side down the beach, the array of colorful stones crunching under our feet. We kept silent. I could sense his slight discomfort. A strong wind blew through me and I suppressed a shiver, it was now colder than it had been before, and I regretted not bringing my jacket with me for the walk. The cold had no impact on my curiosity though and something told me I couldn't turn back without asking Jacob Black about the Cullen's.

"You seem very mature," I told him as casually as I could manage without sounding fake. "How old are you again, seventeen?" He smiled up at me.

"No, I'm fifteen," he told me. I noticed his voiced had gotten deeper. "But I'm taller than most."

"I haven't seen you around Forks at all," I said.

"I don't really visit a lot. Don't really know many people up there, you know?" He confessed.

"We'll now you have a reason to come," I told him leaning into him. I let my tongue run the length of my lip and he stared at me with amazement.

"My car should be finished soon," he said to me. "Maybe I'll come over and visit, I could drive you somewhere." His cheeks flamed under his reddish-brown skin.

"Yeah," I said uninterested. I wanted to find a way to work Embry into our conversation but my mind was drawing blanks.

"Embry seems like a cool kid," I told him. "He isn't like you though," I complimented.

"Yeah Embry is really into following the tribe rules," Jacob said.

"He didn't sound very happy with the Cullen's," I told him, unable to beat around the bush any longer. Jacob blushed.

"The Cullen's aren't too popular with my tribe," he told me. "They aren't really welcomed here. They don't invade or turf we don't invade theirs. That's why you won't see any of us at Forks Community Hospital."

"Why is that?" I asked truly interested now.

"It's a long story," he said.

"I love long stories. The longer the better," I said quickly.

"The truth is," he said. "I'm not allow to tell non-Quileute about it."

"Who am I gonna tell?" I said. My hand grasped his and squeezed it gently.

"Alright," he said. "But I warn you, it's a bit scary."

This conversation was getting tedious, but I tried not to let that register on my face. "I'm tough."

He ran to a tree, and I followed him. We both sat down and he cleared his throat in preparation. I was sure I was going to die from impatience. Something was hidden in the secret of the Quileute, something of vital importance. Something that was tied in with the secret of the Cullen family, and I needed to know what it was.

"We, the Quileute I mean, have many old stories. Legends, you would call them, which are passed down from generation to generation. One in particular claims we are the descendants of Wolves. Which makes it against our law to kill them. Those are combined with the stories of The Cold ones." A shiver rang down my spine at the name. Jacob noticed and smiled. He was pleased his story was making the effect he wanted.

"What are the cold ones," I asked.

"They are blood drinkers," he told me. "The natural enemies of wolf-men, or… werewolves. My great-grandfather, caught them hunting on our land, but they said they were different, they hunted animals instead of humans and so my great grandfather made a treaty with them. They aren't allowed on Quileute territory and that way we wouldn't expose them for what they truly were.

"What does that have to do with the Cullen's?" I asked. The story, while interesting had led me nowhere, and that irritated me. "These things, the cold ones, they were back from your great-grandfathers time? Are the Cullen's like them or something?"

"Don't you get it," he said. "They _are_ the ones from my great-grandfathers time." A lump seemed to be stuck in my throat. A giant lump, that I tried in vain to swallow but couldn't. Jacob noticed it, and rubbed my back soothingly, "you're not as tough as you said you were," he told me.

"Just a big old scary cat," I said, trying to squeezed the words out through dry lips.

"What _are_ they_?" _The question was really a thought that had escaped me.

"Didn't you realized, they're vampires," Jacob finished theatrically, just as a drop of water fell on my cheek. I hardly registered it. When Jacob grabbed my arm and pulled me along with him, I managed to walk but I felt heavy. _Vampires, blood drinkers, enemies, not allowed, _these were all words Jacob had used but I couldn't wrap my head around them.

Could the Cullen's really be some ancient clan of vampires? I looked around me. At the trees, which now swayed in the heavy breeze, at the darkened sea, at the turbulent gray clouds. My ears tried to pick up sound but an eerie silence had descended, and it scared me. The beauty seemed menacing, terrifying, and here among the elements it was easier to believe that creatures like the cold ones did exist, and were closer than anyone could imagine.

When we rejoined the group everyone was scrambling to put their things away. Angela fought to close her collapsible chair and Embry tried his best to help her. I quickly pecked Jacob on the cheek and thank him for the walk, then rushed into the Suburban before Mike could force me up front with him again. My clothes were moist and uncomfortable but I hardly noticed it. It was as if a haze had filtered into my brain and suddenly I felt drained and sleepy. Angela nudged me, and asked for the window seat. I obligingly scooted aside and let her climb over me. Tyler sat on my other side, and Eric beside him. Lauren sulkily looked at me, "Bella, weren't you sitting somewhere else before?" She asked.

"Tough," I said to her sleepily. "You weren't quick enough Lauren." Her ugly gray eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Eric can you move to the front?"

Eric only looked at her and laughed. I had a feeling that Eric wouldn't have moved to sit next to Jessica even for a million dollars.

"Fine," she huffed and pried the passenger door open with enough force to shake the entire car. She situated herself next to Jessica, who was only too thrilled I wasn't occupying the same space as her.

Mike was the last to climb in. Apparently he was saying good-bye to Jacob and Embry. The rain had started coming down harder and he was soaked through, I noticed his shoulders were slumped. His eyes caught mine on the rearview mirror and I saw sadness reflected in them.

"Jacob and Embry said it was really nice to meet you all," Mike said loudly, his eyes went to mine again and I had to look away. I felt guilty for using Jacob and though I knew that Mike couldn't possibly know what I had done, the look in his eyes felt accusatory. I'd invite Jacob over and make it up to him. The impression I left him with would have to be clarified. But we could be friends.

"Bella, where did you run off to?" Angela whispered.

"I went on a walk with Jacob, he was telling me some legends about his tribe," I said without meeting her gaze. "I guess I lost track of time." I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Around me I could hear the noise as people ran for their cars and pack up as quickly as they could.

On the way back everyone seemed quiet and subdued. The rain had sucked the cheerfulness out of the day. Even Jessica remained quiet, sensing Mike's not so happy mood. My mind seemed occupied by the day's events. The Quileute legends were foremost in my thoughts. I pictured a pack of wolves running through the forest, chasing some unknown prey. Enemies. It was a relief to be back in Forks, back to my truck. I said goodbye to Angela, Jessica, Eric and Tyler. But I avoided Mike, and ignored Lauren. Then got in my truck and drove home. Hopping over puddles I ran into my house. It was deathly quiet. For the first time in a long time I was scared, really scared. I went from room to room turning on every light as if that would deter whatever I thought was coming for me. The hairs in the back of my neck were standing on edge. I had a familiar feeling someone was looking at me, so I moved away from the windows.

I took a quick shower and changed into my sweats and t-shirt. Then I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels for a good show. I settled on an old black and white movie called "The portrait of Jennie." I tried to concentrate on the film pushing all thought of The Cold ones aside, but I couldn't concentrate instead I listened to the silence and anxiously awaited my dad's return.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Nightmare

My movie was halfway finished before I heard my dad's cruiser pull in and I rushed to open the door for him. He smiled when he saw me and pulled me in for a hug, but I quickly disentangled myself because he smelled so strongly of fish. He whistled "Old Mac Donald," while he took off his jacket. It was obvious that his fishing trip had gone well.

"You look like you had fun," I told him. He went into the coat closet and put away his fishing gear.

"Waylon and I went up to Lake Crescent to fish," he told me. "We caught a couple of good ones; they're out back in the freezer." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm glad you had fun," I told him. I stared at him closely, his face looked healthier and the shadows were less distinct. The trip had definitely done him good, I was glad to insist he go.

"How about you?" he asked. "Have fun on your trip?"

"Yeah, it was...informative," I told him. He went to the fridge and pulled out a beer. "I met Billy Blacks son, Jacob."

He seemed happier by the second. "Nice kid, that Jacob," he said as he uncapped his beer. "Takes good care of his dad."

I didn't understand why Mr. Black would need to be taken care of but I let it go. Then I remembered something and I couldn't help asking, "Hey dad, why don't the Quileute go to the hospital?" As soon as the question was out of my mouth I wanted to take it back.

My dad's entire body began to shake and his hand curled around the bottle of beer as if wanting to crush it. "Who told you that, Jacob?" I shook my head slowly. "They're just being stubborn," he told me. "It's some stupid prejudice they have against Dr. Cullen. The minute he started working there, two years ago, they stopped showing up. I tried to talk to Billy about it, but he just brushed me off saying it was none of my business."

My dad's head puffed up like one of those alarmed blowfish. He started mumbling to himself about how some of them needed it and hearts were bad or something. I tried to change the subject, "is Waylon doing good?"

This seemed to be an acceptable change because his face instantly relaxed. "That Waylon is funny," he told me. "Cracking jokes the whole time." I arranged my mouth into a smile, hoping my dad wouldn't see through it.

"Hey, I'm watching the game. Want to see it with me?" He sounded excited. My face scrunched up as if I'd licked a lemon and I shook my head in the negative. "Girls," he muttered. He scratched his head as a clueless gesture and walked into the living room, where I heard him turn the television on.

I walked over to the sink and finished washing the dirty dishes from this morning. As I scrubbed absently at one particularly crusty dish, my eye caught a flash of movement outside, a giant shadow moving behind the trees. _Enemies. _A shiver rang up my spine as I remembered Jacob's words. I finished the dishes as quickly as I was able to, all the while keeping my eyes glued to the spot I'd seen the shadow. If something was coming for me, then I wanted to see it.

I rushed up to my room, explaining to my dad that I was practically drowning in homework when he asked me what my hurry was. Once inside I went to my window and pulled the drapes closed, then I locked my door. I fell to my knees and began digging around under my bed for my MP3. There must be something in there that would help me to stop thinking. I began to regret ever listening to Jacob's stupid legends. My can of mace rolled out from it's hiding spot and I quickly tossed it back in. Finally I felt my box of things I hadn't unpacked yet and pulled it out. My MP3 was wrapped in an old sweater my mom had bought me and I had never worn. I rang down the list titles, Green day, Sum 41, The Beatles, Chopin... None of these were any good. I needed something loud. My finger stopped at Linkin Park and I picked it out from among the others.

The blaring bass of the drums drowned out my thoughts easily and I let the music move through my body. I let myself fall back on to the covers and close my eyes. Again visions crept forth, bloody lips, a sinister smile, canine teeth, a woman screaming as a creepy bald headed man crept towards her, displaying vicious fangs and waving his long fingers, black eyes, hungry and pitiless. I pulled my pillow and pressed it to my face, hoping that would squish out any intruding thoughts.

Despite the blaring noise of my MP3 I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness, I tried to not let it overtake me, but it was in vain. The La Push outing had tired me out more than I had realized. Soon I couldn't fight it anymore and I felt myself give in.

The scene was familiar, and I knew, some how, that this was all a dream. It was dark. Under my feet I saw the same slippery stones of La Push. The trees had clustered together to make an artificial night. Around me was utter silence, and I was afraid, despite knowing it wasn't real. Just like before, panic over took me and I rushed forward wanting to escape the darkness of the forest, wanting to see the sky. This place was too eerie and I didn't want to be alone. I slipped and fell but quickly stood again and kept moving forward, yet the scenery never changed. It felt as if I was going in circles. "Bella!" I heard Mike's voice scream from deep inside the woods. "Bella! Come through here! Hurry!" I wanted to follow him, but I didn't want to go any deeper into the forest. He kept beckoning me to him but I remained motionless, looking around for him instead. I was stunned to see Jacob, half hidden behind the mossy trunk of a tree. "Bella, run!" he whispered. His handsome face was distorted by fear. I stepped back from him, afraid. "Why?" I questioned. Mikes voice kept insisting I go to him, and Jacob now did the same. He extended his hand out to me.

"No," I said. "I want to get out of this place." The hair in the back of my neck stood on end, and both Mikes voice and Jacob went silent. He stared in the direction I was heading and I saw what had captivated his attention. A light, that had started dimly but grew in intensity was heading this way. It was coming out of the trees and I was glad to finally have something to show me the way. I didn't question how a light could be coming or who would be the carrier. I was just glad it was here. But it wasn't a light. It was a person. I stared at the face I knew so well. The face I had studied in Biology and at lunch. I knew the cheekbones, the lips, and the eyes. Edward.

His face glowed dimly, and his perfect eyes narrowed with hate. He stared straight at me, and that sinister smile I had seen in the Biology room was on his lips. When he crept closer I was able to see the two sharp pointed fangs that protruded from either side of his mouth. Despite the fear I didn't step back, he was like a fallen angel.

All of the sudden Jacob sprung forward, blocking me from him and I saw Edward stop. He tilted his head slightly in a curious way and the smile on his lips widened, his eyes looked wild.

Strangely Jacob fell to the ground as if a giant invisible hand had smacked him down. I gasped and hurried forth to help him, aware that Edward was paying attention to every one of my moves. But I paralyzed when Jacob began to twitch and convulse. His mouth was opened in a silent scream of agony. I stepped back, out of fear and felt my foot slipped from under me. I landed at the base of a giant, moss-covered tree. My eyes widened as I saw Jacob's body twist and turned sickeningly. The bones snapped as if each were being broken separately.

I screamed, afraid that Jacob was dying. Edward stared at this all in silence. Jacob rose to his feet like a marionette on a string. He looked wrong, his face had elongated and his body was slowly covering with fur. My heart was hammering like the beat of a drum. He slowly morphed into something not human. The animal that had once been Jacob now stared at Edward whose expression had changed.

Edward tried to take a step towards me, but the wolf growled at him, his hackles rising. He stepped back, and suddenly I was more scared than I could remember being in my life, but not for myself. I was afraid for Edward. Afraid he would be hurt. I stared at the wolf. He lowered his body in preparation to jump. I knew he was going to pounce on Edward. I need to stop him. Without warning the wolf sprang aiming for Edward's neck and I jumped after it, my mouth framing the word no.

I fell flat on the floor tangled in my covers, my MP3 clattered next to me. _What is wrong with me,_ I thought. My body hurt as I pulled myself upright. The fall had aggravated my very recent injuries. I stared at my bedside clock. I had only been asleep for thirty minutes. It was still early and I didn't want to have to go back to sleep. Part of me wanted to know what would happen if I had managed to grab the wolf. I wondered if I would have been as brave if it hadn't all been a dream.

It seemed I wouldn't be able to escape these thoughts, not even in my sleep. There must be a logical explanation to all this, I thought. The game was still going on downstairs. I could hear the announcer's monotone voice drifting up. I ran my hand through my hair, which was sticky and wet with sweat. For a moment I was at a loss as to what to do. It was obvious I couldn't go up to Edward and ask him directly, what would I say. "_Hey by any chance are you and your family blood sucking undead?" _But I couldn't stand this horrible suspicion that had grown ever since the accident. I knew there was something that Edward Cullen was hiding. What if this was it? What if the big secret was that they were all vampires? What would I do with the information if they were?

Something inside me screamed to leave it alone, to let it go. It was none of my business. But my curiosity was not easy to drive out, and like always my stubbornness silenced the voice. My eyes roamed around my room, as if the truth lay hidden in the shadows, and quickly fell upon my computer. I jumped off the bed, and raced across my room for the laptop. I turned it on, tapping my finger on the keys, anxiously waiting for it to warm up. I clicked on the Internet icon and watched as Google popped on the screen. Then I typed in the words that had been circling around in my head since Jacob's tale, _Vampires._ I stared at it, strangely feeling like Alice going down the rabbit hole. This was a changing type of moment, once I pressed enter I wouldn't be able to go back. I jabbed the dreaded key sharply with my index finger, afraid I would loose my nerve and log off before getting the answers I needed.

The screen in front of me filled with everything from Role-playing video games of the gothic persuasion to elaborate costume designs for Halloween. I decided to narrow down my search a little and next to _vampires_ I typed _legends_. That was helpful, instantly a list of vampire legends appeared. I clicked on the ones that more or less made sense. After clicking on countless sites that lead me nowhere, I was about to give up when I stumbled onto one that seemed promising. It had a collegiate feel, with quotes of famous doctors, authors and specialist sprinkled liberally, like confectioners sugar on funnel cake. I read each quote carefully, inspecting it for signs of something close to what Jacob had told me. I scrolled down the alphabetized list of the many myths believed around the world. The first Legend I came upon was derived from Africa, the Asasabonsam, a type of vampire, humanoid in appearance but with iron teeth, who hid atop trees and hooked its prey with its claw like feet. Then there was the Kiang Shi, from China, a vampire with red staring eyes long nails, long hair and a green white tinge, apparently they had poisonous breath but killed by draining it's victim of blood. These seemed like fairy tales to me, stories made up to scare children. In almost all cases the vampires were beautiful woman who lured unsuspecting men to their deaths. It surprised me to notice that many also mentioned childlike creatures that fed on human blood. Most cases their mother. Here or there I recognized an entry that resembled the Cullen's in some way, the speed, the pale skin, the color changing eyes, the beauty, but mostly it was just a compilation of creatures that to me didn't resemble the vampire legend I had grown up fearing. No dark and handsome stranger with pointed fangs and a widow's peak.

Some entries did mention the existence of good vampires, who protected humans from the bad ones like the Stregoni Benifici and the Bedandanti and some who where harmless only taking what they needed and nothing more, but most where evil creatures causing great suffering where ever they went. As I sat at my desk, looking at my screen I had the strange feeling I was being watched, and the hairs in the back of my neck stood on end. I looked over at my window, with it drapes closed. I knew there was no way that someone was looking in, unless they had x-ray vision, but the feeling didn't go away. Feeling uneasy I decided to log of the computer, blaming my nervousness on the fact that I was researching vampire legends. I had the feeling that if I kept this craze researching of mythical creatures I'd soon end up in a mental institution, with a strait jacket and padded cell. But somehow, the uneasiness didn't disappear. I walked to my window and pulled the curtains aside, the rain had stopped but the sky was still dark, promising more rain still. Curiosity propelled me to put on my rain boots and walk downstairs, my dad had fallen asleep watching his game, and so I tip-toed past him, not wanting to wake him, and walked out the back door.

_Why was I feeling this way?_ I wondered. My eyes scanned the fringe of trees, poised for the slightest movement but couldn't see a thing. As I stood there feeling slightly foolish, and getting ready to walk back in the house, I heard a noise. It was soft, but distinct, like something solid brushing against the leaves. My throat went dry as I tried to pin point the origin of the sound. Then I heard another noise, this one higher. _It could just be an animal,_ I thought. But something told me I was lying to myself, because I knew deep down it wasn't an animal making those sounds. I found myself walking forward, closer to the fringe of trees, my feet moving of their own volition. My brain was alert and sending all the signals for me to stop but I just ignored them and kept walking. I felt like one of those thriller movie victims, walking towards the source of the noise despite everyone in the theater shouting for her to turn back. I didn't actually stop until I was a little ways into the woods, shivering but not from cold. Everything around me had gone silent. I couldn't even hear the whistle of the breeze against the trees. It felt like my ears had been plugged. And all the while that strange feeling that someone was watching me never went away.

"Hello?" I called out, feeling stupid. I hardly expected an answer, but then the rustling started up again, and it sounded much closer. My body paralyzed. There was something here. Something that wanted to hurt me. I could feel it all along my body, and I wanted to run but the fear kept me pinned in place. This is what I get, for digging my nose where it didn't belong, for wanting to know more than I was allowed to know. And suddenly I wanted Edward, more than ever, despite my dream, despite the tales of the Quileute. I wanted Edward here to comfort me, to protect me. That's when I heard the sound, like a boulder hitting another in a giant avalanche, it propelled my skeleton half a mile out of my skin but my feet didn't react. In a rush the sound returned and I felt the heaviness lift out of my legs. I took off, unaware of the low branches that snatched at my clothing and scratched my face and hands. I made it back to my house just as it started raining and turned to look back as a spark of lightning lit the sky and the woods. In that second I could have sworn I saw a tall figure staring back at me, but the next second it was gone. I stumbled my way inside, and bolted the door, my heart pounding.

"Bella? It's that you?" My dad called from the living room.

"Yeah it's me," I managed to rasp. I tried to compose myself as he walked into the kitchen, empty bottle of beer in hand. He scratched his eyes, like a sleepy child and looked at me, taking in my attire and scratched face and hands.

"What happened?" he asked concerned.

"Nothing," I said. "I just thought I heard a sound..." I let the sentence drift wondering if I should tell him the whole truth. He looked at me with alarm. I opted for a lie instead.

"It was just a squirrel," I said attempting a laugh, which came out dry and brittle. "It scared me silly, though."

He looked calmer but still confused. "Why were you out there in the first place?" he asked. "Can't you hear the thunder? It's going to pour."

"You know me, I'm curious George," again I attempted a laugh but again I failed. He stared at me for a second, and then as if deciding it had something to do with me being a teenager he turned to the fridge for another beer. I took the opportunity to escape up to my room, making sure to run by the bathroom and pick up a couple of alcohol wipes to clean up my new cuts. This weekend had been all it threatened to be, miserable and painful and it wasn't even over. When I finally made it to the safety of my bedroom, I ran to the windows and bolted them. Then I made sure the drapes where closed tightly before I sat on my bed to clean the cuts. The coppery smell of blood tinge with sweetness made me feel slightly dizzy and I hurried to finish before I passed out. Once my cuts were clean and bandaged, I lay down on my bed and looked at my ceiling. My eyes traced a huge crack in the paint and my mind fell back to the figure staring at me from the fringe of trees when the lightning lit it up.

The weird thing was that I didn't feel scared when I thought of that. I remembered how terrifying it was when I had been in the woods, surrounded by something I couldn't see. But that figure hadn't scared me at all, if any it had calmed me. It felt more like a sentinel, a guardian who protected me, than something that wanted to hurt me. Surprisingly it made me think of Edward.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. How stupid I have been, I thought, to let my mind get so wrapped up in stories and legends. Yes, I still believed that Edward was something more than human, but I wasn't going to dig around, investigating things I wasn't meant to know. I would let sleeping dogs lie. Did it matter what he was? Would I love him any differently? I laughed out loud. _I love him_, I thought. It doesn't make any difference what he is or is not, it won't stop what I feel for him. And with that thought I drifted off into a comfortable sleep.

It was in the morning that I really felt my injuries. I spent most of Sunday in bed. The bruises that hadn't been there the day before made their appearance, in all their purple glory. My dad took one look at me and cringed. "You look like you were ran over by a monster truck in your sleep?" He told me with a laugh. Instead of going fishing again with Waylon my dad opted to stay with me. I caught up on my homework which I had neglected and later that day my dad help me downstairs and we spent some time watching classic movies and eating chips. The day had turned bright and sunny, the storm from last night had died out pretty quickly. I tried to think as little as possible about the happenings of Saturday, because my decision was made. No point in beating a dead horse. Which made me more and more anxious for Monday to come. I wanted to see Edward.

I moved quickly through the parking lot of my school, needing to get to class and for the day to progress so I could see Edward again. I sat at my seat jittery from nerves, my foot twitching and my hand tapping on my table ceaselessly. Mike reached over and put his hand over mine, "stop" he mouthed when I looked over at him. I wasn't concentrating on anything, and so I completely missed when my teacher came over and asked for the homework assignment. Eric reached over and tapped me on the shoulder, while Mike shook his head. I looked up at Mr. Mason, who looked back at me with his hand extended. Realizing what he asked for I quickly scrambled for my bag, reached in and pulled out my homework assignment. He took it from me and with a smile walked over to the student behind me. Everyone around me erupted into suppressed giggles, while I sunk low wanting to disappear. When the bell rang, I hopped off my chair and rushed out of the room, not waiting for either Mike or Eric. They quickly caught up with me, both with hurt looks on their faces.

"What is happening to you?" Mike asked. I glanced at him, my eyes narrowing, then away.

" What the hell did we do?" Eric said. "

I slowed my pace. "Nothing," I said. "It's just I have a lot of things on my mind." I stopped in front of the History building, and Eric and Mike stopped too. Mike leaned into the side of the building and nursed his right leg, cringing slightly as his hand ran over it.

"What happened to you?" I asked. Eric burst into fits of laughter and Mike batted at him unsuccessfully.

"Remember how Jessica clung to him on that hike to the tide pools?" Eric asked. I nodded, knowing only too well why Jessica clung to Mike. "She started walking really fast for some weird reason and since the ground was so slippery she kind of lost her balance-" Eric stopped mid sentence not able to control his laughing any longer. I prompted Mike for the rest of the story, he looked at me, rolled his eyes in defeat and said, "I went to help her and managed to grab hold of her but then she sort of pushed me off and sent me flying to the ground. She was okay, but I think I sprained my ankle." Eric was hunched over unable to breathe, his face turning red. I managed a quick chuckle despite the fact that the story wasn't all that interesting or funny to me, I thought back to the tide pools when I had been curious to know what had happened to Mike, but that seemed ages ago.

I waved goodbye to them and entered my class. The teacher hadn't yet arrived and I knew the noise level was deafening but it all sounded like white noise to me, like the static on a TV. I felt my body sit down but my mind remained suspended in mid air, just hovering above me, completely oblivious to anything. "He-llo," Jessica said waving her hand in front of my face and my head snapped up, I looked at her, and noticed, as if for the first time that I wasn't in history anymore, and I had no idea how I had gotten here. Some how I had managed to sit through all my classes and walk my way down to the cafeteria in a vacuum like state.

"Well?" she asked. She moved in front of a blond freshman, the girl stared at her in confusion, then threw her hands in the air and walked out of line.

"What? I'm sorry I was day-dreaming for a second," I told her.

"Are you going with us to Port Angeles on Thursday?"

"Port Angeles?" I repeated confused, pulling out my usual can of ice tea out of the ice filled bucket.

"Yes... to buy dresses for the Sadie Hawkins dance... I was telling you all about it. What, you weren't paying attention?" she asked.

If there was one thing Jessica hated, it was when people didn't listen or weren't engrossed on what she babbled. And I knew that if I confessed to being oblivious, she would probably never speak to me again... which on the whole didn't seem like a completely horrible idea. She sat down next to Lauren and I plopped down right beside Angela, who was as always immersed in one of her books.

"Yeah, of course I was paying attention," I told her, deciding against the "never talking to me" thing, I'd rather not become Jessica's enemy. I just didn't want to think what she was capable of. She looked at me suspiciously.

"Yeah. Lauren, Angela and I are all going, so we thought even if you didn't have a date, that you'd like to come to give us pointers." She looked me up and down, as if she doubted I would have any pointers to give. I bit the inside of my cheek in anger, suppressing all the things I wanted to hurl at her. Like the only reason I didn't have a date was because I had turned down all the guys that had asked me, or that the only reason she had Mike to go with was because I convinced him to say yes to her invitation. But I held it all in.

"I'll think about it," I told her.

"Whatever, just tell us before Thursday alright," she said turning to Lauren. I turned to look at Angela, who was now pretending to read her book, though her red cheeks gave her away. It had obviously been her idea to invite me to the outing. She raised her eyes to me shyly, and peered at me through her eyelashes. "Sorry," she whispered. I smiled encouragingly at her, giving her my best "don't worry about it" shrug. I was too eager to start my search for Edward to care what Jessica thought or didn't think of me, and my wardrobe. My head spun in all directions as I tried to find Edward. But the Cullen table stood vacant and when I looked over to where Edward and I had sat that one time, hoping he was there waiting for me with his crooked smile, I was disappointed to also find it empty.

I laid my head down on my hands and stayed like that for the rest of the lunch period, blocking Jessica's incessant chatter about Port Angeles. When the bell rang I pushed myself to my feet and walked, zombie like, to my class. Angela ran to keep up, "they usually don't show up when it's sunny," she told me. My eyes jerked up, there was no point pretending I didn't know whom she was talking about. "They skip? I asked. "All of them. Isn't that a bit obvious?" I asked. Angela shook her head. "No. When they first arrived we thought the same, but then we heard that Dr. Cullen had asked the Principal permission to get time off for all of them whenever they want. They go camping or hiking, something like that." I remembered Edward mention something about camping with his brother. "Apparently the Principal said that if they kept their grades up it would be okay to miss some days of school." She looked at me incredulous, as if she couldn't believe what had just come out of her mouth. Again I was lost in my own thoughts, and Angela and I walked the rest of the way in silence.

Hadn't Edward left on Friday night? Why was he taking so long to return? How much fun can a person have camping? I walked to my seat with my head down, knowing Edward wouldn't be there. At this point I just wanted to go home, curl up in my blanket and sleep until next Thursday. Maybe I should have stayed home.

The rest of my classes went by slowly. The minutes seemed to have had purposely slowed down to prolong my misery. Biology was a bore and Gym a nightmare. Dejected I dragged my feet in the direction of my car. Could I continue like this? I wondered. Perhaps it was a good idea to go on the outing with Jessica and Angela, but Lauren would also be there and her pointed barbs were more annoying than hurtful.

My house was quiet when I walked in. I put my keys on the hook and walked to the fridge to get myself a can of coke. This day required an overload of caffeine. There on the fridge, pinned in placed with a banana magnet, was my dads note.

There was an emergency at the station, very serious.

Left some money on the counter, order us a pizza.

Love Dad

I stood there pinned to the spot, staring down at my dads note. The handwriting was messy and rushed, and so unlike him. Perhaps it had been a breakthrough in the cold case they had been dealing with, I said to myself. Yet the sudden coldness in my stomach made me wonder if there was something more to this. He used the words "Very serious," that couldn't possibly be a good thing. Wouldn't he have used words like, "great news?" The tone of this small note wasn't cheerful. With shaky fingers I placed the note back on the fridge, and secured it with the banana magnet. I wasn't in the mood for a soft drink anymore. On the counter was a crisp twenty-dollar bill. I passed it without picking it up. I wasn't hungry anymore either. My house felt eerily quiet, I felt the need to turn on the television just to hear the noise. I ran up to my room to change, and was startled when my cell phone began to vibrate. I picked it up and stared down at the screen, MOM. With a small sigh, my finger pressed the answer button. Instantly my mom shrilly voice rang in my ear.

"Some daughter you are!" She screamed. "Haven't heard from you in a month! A month. What, you don't care if I'm alive or dead? I gave birth to you!"

"Mom, stop being melodramatic," I told her. "I had a lot of homework and stuff to do." The excuse sounded lame, even to myself.

"And you couldn't take a second out of your very busy day to call your mom, and make sure she's okay?" she told me.

"Your right, I'm sorry," I told her. "I guess I've just been distracted."

"Well get undistracted, I have things to catch you up on," she said in a rushed voice. Whatever she needed to say was apparently very juicy. Some bit of gossip I wasn't really interested in.

"Well, Lucy's daughter, Melissa. You remember her, right? She was always such a nasty little b..."

"Mom," I said cutting her off. "It's been a really nice couple of days. All I want to do is soak up some sun." Before she had time to respond I ended the call and quickly, hoping to avoid a call back, I turned off the phone. I'd probably regret what I had just done later, but I wasn't in the mood for my mom's gossip. I pulled a t-shirt out of my top drawer, and shoved it over my head, then picked up the sweats I hang up on my desk chair and walked into them. I look over at my laptop. At this very minute my mom is probably writing me a very explicit message.

I ran back downstairs and sat down on the sofa, forcing myself to grab my school bag and start on the massive amount of homework Mr. Varner had given us, but after about thirty minutes of none stop word problems I couldn't take it anymore. Placing the book on the coffee table I looked around for something else to help me pass the time. I walked over to the secondhand bookshelf my dad had bought me to house my small collection. I stared down the rows of books for something that might keep me busy for the next couple of hours. Deciding on a compilation of Jane Austen, I pulled it out and went back to the sofa. But I couldn't concentrate on my reading, all I heard was the tick tock of the kitchen clock and it drove me insane. Without thinking I grabbed the small blanket from the sofa and dragged it outside. Maybe if I left the house I would be able to concentrate better.

I laid the blanket on the ground, and plopped myself down on it, determined to get at least halfway through my story. Suddenly I felt the hair in the back of my neck stand on edge, and I had the strangest feeling someone was staring at me. My head tilted up and my eyes scanned the empty little stretch of yard, up to the little cluster of trees where I had seen that strange lone figure. When I was fully satisfied I was alone I turned my attention back on my book. Unfortunately my instincts were telling me I _wasn't _alone, and so I couldn't give the book my undivided attention.

Frustrated, I snapped the book shut and set it next to me. I got on my back, staring up at the clouds, which were even now forming the heavy cage that usually surrounded this town. I wasn't going to let this sunny day pass me by. Who knew how long before the sun broke through the clouds again. Despite a slightly chilly breeze I closed my eyes and relaxed my body, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling of someone's eyes on me.

The sound of my dad's cruiser woke me up. I snapped up, confused by the dimming light. I had apparently been asleep for quite sometime, at which point it had grown dark. I stood on wobbly legs, and quickly snatched the blanket and the book off the ground then ran inside. My dad met me just as I closed the back door.

"What were you doing outside?" he asked me in a strangely serious tone.

"I was enjoying this nice weather we've been having and I fell asleep," I told him. He walked over to the window and looked out into the little yard, verifying there weren't any boys out there running into the bushes.

"I don't want you out by yourself, understand," he told me.

My dad had never ordered I do anything. This was very strange behavior. Even though I knew I shouldn't I found myself asking, "what happened dad?"

He pulled a chair away from the kitchen table and sat on it. He placed his callused hands over his eyes. "Waylon," he croaked around the obvious lump in his throat. "They found his body, by Quites River today."

The only sound I managed to make was a sort of raspy gasp. I felt my face pale, and my limbs become rubbery.

"He had been dead about a day before some kids fished him out. We assumed he was killed on Sunday," he told me.

"Killed?" I whispered to myself, wondering if I had heard correctly.

My dad's fist pounded on the table making me jump. "If only we had been able to find the bastard that killed that poor security guard down in Mason, this would have never happened!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked him.

"The same MO," he said. "His body was completely drained of blood."

"Dad, I'm sorry," I whispered, but my words were drowned out by his rambling.

"I shouldn't have told him to go fishing without me. Perhaps if I had been there..." he mumbled to himself.

I felt when both the book and the blanket slipped out of my cold and numb fingers as I realized what he had just said. My dad hadn't gone fishing with Waylon because of me. I remembered him on the phone apologizing to Waylon and insisting he go on without him. Dad had been worried me, and he hadn't wanted to leave me alone. If he had gone with Waylon, he may not have been here now, talking to me. If he hadn't stayed... But I couldn't even imagine that.

My dad jerked his head up in surprised, and I knew my legs weren't going to be able to support my weight much longer. I felt them wobble as I tried to walk towards the table. He caught me and helped me to the nearest chair.

"Honey! Are you alright?" His face was filled with concern.

Tears had begun streaking across my face. Silently I sobbed, trying to regain my breath. "I'm glad you didn't go," I said through hiccups. "If something had happened to you... I don't know what I'd do." I held on to his shirt, unable to let him go. Scared that if I budged he would disappear.

"Bells, it's alright," he told me soothingly. "I shouldn't have told you." He pried my fingers off his shirt, and set my hands on the table, then he went to the fridge and got me a cold glass of water. "This should make you feel better," he said putting it in front of me. I curled my fingers around the glass, and with shaky hands brought it to my lips, draining it in seconds. I had never felt so grateful for body injuries in my life. He leaned his back on the sink and stared down at me anxiously. "You didn't order the pizza," he said.

"I wasn't hungry," I told him turning my gaze to the twenty on the counter.

"It's alright," he said. "I'm not so hungry either." He picked up the twenty and pocketed it.

When I had managed to calm down sufficiently, I asked my dad to help me up to my room, where I collapsed into my bed and stared at my ceiling, until about three o'clock in the morning, when exhaustion overtook me and I fell asleep.

The next several days passed without incident. The weather had kept steadily nice, though the clouds kept crowding closer and closer warning you they were about to regain their rightful place in the sky. My father was hardly ever home, picking up where he left off. He was no longer cheerful, he seemed drained when he got home, and I knew it was because he blamed himself for Waylon's death. On top of all this Edward Cullen was again absent, and this coupled with my father foul mood made me irritable and edgy.

That Thursday as I sat at the Lunch table with Angela, Jessica leaned over to me. "Did you decide whether or not you're going with us?" She asked. The way she said it, as if she thought I shouldn't even think about saying yes, aggravated my already frail temper. I seriously considered spilling my can of Coke over her head. Instead I leaned over and said, "You know what, I think I will," and took satisfaction in seeing her face cloud over. I was sure she thought I would say no, and I know she was disappointed I would be coming. She smiled at me tightly, and quickly turned to Lauren and begun detailing her recent date with Mike in a very high voice, loud enough for her intended audience, which was me, to hear.

When I got home, I was surprised to see my dad standing in front of the stove, stirring pasta in a large pot. He turned to me with a smile on his face, the first I had seen all week. "Hey Bells," he greeted.

I hung my key on the hook and set my bag on the counter. "Dad. What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I decided to come home a little earlier than usual," he told me. "Your mom called me several times. Please, tell me what you did to make her so mad?" he smiled at me, as if mom's tantrums amused him.

I rolled my eyes, "I haven't been able to call her in a couple of days. I have to apologize to her, I was a bit..."

"Disrespectful," he said, finishing my words. I nodded, "yeah."

"I think you should apologize, soon," he pointed me towards the phone, which was sign language for "you need to do it now."

I walked to the phone and dialed my moms cell phone number. "Char-"

"No mom, it's me Bella," I said, cutting her off. She stood silent on the other end. "I just wanted to apologize," I told her.

"Charlie's been undoing all my good parenting," she said halfheartedly.

"Yeah mom, I've been eating candy everyday and staying up late every night since I got here," I told her, knowing I had been forgiven. She laughed. I felt that warm feeling slide down my body, as if all my worries were melting away with her sweet childish voice. We talked for a while, about everything and anything, mostly about me. I talked to her about school and Angela. I even told her about my growing rivalry with Jessica and my new nemesis Lauren. "I'm glad you made... _friends_, honey. You were always so lonely," she told me. She was happy I had updated her on my life. There seemed to be an underlying note of sadness to her voice. "Mom, I'm alright," I said. "I know," she told me. "It seems like you and Charlie are getting along great. You seem happy," she said with a sigh. "But sometimes it feels like I'm not part of your life anymore," she told me. "I feel like you're slipping away."

"You're always going to be my mom, that's never going to change," I told her. "No matter how far away I am." She laughed again. After she had gotten my promise that I would call her more often she sent a very noisy kiss through the phone and said her goodbyes. I ran downstairs just as my dad called me down for dinner.

We ate in silence, something that had become customary since Waylon's death. I had a feeling he didn't want me to ask about how the case was going. If I even attempted to talk to him, he would pretend to be full, get up from the table and dump his, almost always full, plate in the garbage. It didn't take long for me to get the message, and so I stopped talking. It made for very lonely dinners. When he was done he pushed the plate away from him and looked at me. I stopped with the fork halfway to my lips. "How's your mom?" he asked.

"She forgives me," I told him, knowing that was the real reason he asked.

"I'm glad," he said. "I don't want you to think just because you're living with me you don't have to listen to her."

"I know," I told him. Wanting this part of our conversation over with so I could introduce the next topic on my list. "Dad..." I said not knowing where to start.

"Yeah," he sounded cautious.

"I was invited to go to Port Angeles today with some girls from school," I told him. "They're going to shop for dresses." He looked at me with narrowed eyes. "Can I go?" I added as an afterthought.

"I thought you weren't going to the dance, what happened?" he asked still suspicious.

"I'm not, but they wanted my advice," I said. "I want to go."

"I guess it'll be okay," he told me. "But be careful, and take your pepper spray." I nodded even though I had no intention of doing that at all.

He huffed in a way that told me the conversation time was over, and pulled himself to his feet. I kept my eyes lowered as he placed his plate in the sink and walked out of the kitchen. As I was cleaning our dishes, the phone rang. Knowing it would probably be Jessica telling me they were on their way I dried my soapy hands on a paper towel and walked to the phone. My dad got to it before I could, and passed it to me. The phone hadn't yet reached my ear before I heard Angela's shrilly scream.

"Bella?" she said. "Bella! Are you there."

"Yes," I told her, keeping the phone at arms length. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong! Everything is right!" she sounded ecstatic. "Lauren won't be going to Port Angeles with us."

"Are you serious? This isn't some kind of sick joke?" I asked.

"No, I'm really serious!" she screamed again. "Jessica is coming to pick me up, minus her lackey. She always behaves much better when she isn't feeding off that viper."

"She asked me to tell you that we would pick you up in a little while," she said.

"Alright see you in a little bit then," I told her.

"See you," she said before hanging up.

I sat on the couch staring at the television but not really seeing what my dad had put on, waiting for the slightest sound of an approaching car. Jessica's squealing brakes gave her away. I jumped off the couch, pecked my dad on the cheek, grabbed my jacket and slung my tote bag on my shoulder and burst through the front door eager to start. My dad waved at me from the front door, before I hopped in and Jessica rushed off.

"Hey Bella," greeted Jessica and Angela in unison. "Lauren had to do something with her mom."

I smiled a genuine smile of friendship, wanting to give Jessica a chance for redemption now that Lauren wasn't influencing her. She smiled back at me just as warmly. I realized just how bad an influence Lauren really was.

Jessica talked without end, one sentence running into the next. I tried my hardest to ignore her and concentrated on the road, she didn't need more than the occasional yes or no from either Angela or me. We passed the Forks welcome sign so quickly I nearly missed it, and as I stared at the ever shrinking sign I felt a strong sense of foreboding, but I ignored it, I was going to enjoy this trip if it was the last thing I did.

_I'd like to thank Catnip Banana for her review. I was seriously thinking about quitting, but now I'm going to continue writing because you're going to keep reading Catnip. Thanks again._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Port Angeles

It was going on five thirty when we reached Port Angeles. Still plenty of time to shop, according to Jessica and Angela. I was feeling excited for the first time in a while. I had never, technically speaking, had a "girls night out" before. I mean there had been Melissa's twelfth birthday sleepover but everyone pretty much ignored me and I ended up pretending to be sick so I could go home early. The main topics were, of course, guys. In between hearing stupid wanna-be rock stars like Avril Lavinge sing about getting her heart broken and not giving up her virginity, I got to listen to Jessica denote the latest gossip concerning Eric, Mike, and Tyler. Jessica and Mike had apparently gotten to second base. Eric and Angela had a disastrous dinner that made it clear to both they were simply just settling, instead of going to the Sadie Hawkins dance alone.

"It was horrible," Angela told us, seeming more animated than I had ever seen her before. "He actually told me he didn't have enough money and asked me if we could split the bill!" Jessica made a horrified face.

"What about you Bella?" Jessica said turning her eyes to me in the rearview mirror.

"What about me?" I asked back.

"Come on, we've notice your little rendezvous with Edward Cullen," she said. "What's going on there?"

"Nothing. We're just friends," I told her.

"Yeah," she said sounding convinced. "It's you and Tyler who are attached at the hip." She seemed to say it as if it were a fact. I looked at her incredulously not sure if she was kidding, serious, or being typical Jessica.

"What do you mean joined at the hip?" I asked with a nervous chuckle. "I hardly talk to the guy."

"It's okay. You don't have to by coy with us," Jessica continued. "If Lauren were here though..." she let the sentence hang heavily, implying that Lauren would kick my ass. "She keeps saying you're stealing her guy from under her." She bobbed her head up and down.

"Why would she think that?" I asked.

"Tyler's been saying you and him were _hanging out_, and going to dates and stuff," Angela said.

"Yeah," Jessica agreed still bobbing her head like a bobble head doll. "A couple of weeks ago Lauren asked if he would be alright with going with her to the Junior prom, and he said that he didn't think so because you and him were already planning on going together."

I was so shocked by this bit of news that my jaw dropped to my knees. "It's not true!" I roared.

"See, I told you," Angela said, elbowing Jessica gently.

Jessica merely shrugged. "It's just what I heard." she told her.

We parked outside of a small store, it's display window decorated with a couple of outdated mannequins wearing pretty matching dresses of opposite colors. The bell tinkled as we opened the door and a perky sales lady in an ugly green suit soon ambushed us.

"Hello ladies," she said spreading her mouth in a wide grin that revealed a streak of lipstick on her teeth. "Are you Forks students?"

"Yeah," Angela answered shyly. I knew for a fact that people with too much pep made Angela nervous. I nodded silently and Jessica merely ignored her.

She started to direct a helpless Angela, whom she obviously considered the weakest link in our chain, to a rack of gaudy looking dresses. Jessica quickly jumped in front of the lady. "We know what we want," she said to the woman. "But we'll call you if we need you," she squinted at the name badge. "Margaret." The woman's smile faded, replaced by a sort of stiff sneer. She looked pointedly at Jessica and then trying to regain some of her previous enthusiasm, she shook her head and replied, "alright then, I'll be right over there if anyone needs me."

"We won't need you," Jessica whispered loud enough for only us to hear.

"She was nice," Angela said.

"Oh, please," said Jessica rolling her eyes. "She just wanted a sale. But go to her, let her dress you up like a porcelain doll." Angela blushed crimson.

The store didn't have a large selection but Jessica managed to find several dresses for herself and Angela was debating between a pretty pink strapless and a light blue spaghetti strap dress. She turned around in her pink ensemble and asked my opinion. "I like it," I told her with what I hoped was an interested smile. The truth was I was feeling a little low. Edward's continued absence from school was draining all the cheer out of me. Which I realized was not healthy. My foot traced the pattern of the carpet in lazy circles.

"Okay," Jessica said bursting out of the dressing room in excitement. "I think I found the _one_." My head snapped up and my eyes focused on the most eye-catching part of the dress, the plunging neckline, which brought Jessica's most "favorable" assets to center stage. "Oh wow," I said.

"I know isn't it beautiful," she squealed. "I love it." She quickly dashed back in the dressing room to look at herself in the small mirror.

"I think I've made my decision too," Angela said as she came out of the dressing room in her jeans and sweater. She held out the pink strapless dress and I smiled, and nodded in agreement.

"We still need to get shoes," Jessica said as we made our way to the lady behind the counter. "Lets go to that place down the street, the one where Lauren buys all her shoes from. What was it called?"

"Got Sole," Angela told her.

My face fell at the mention of more shopping, I was honestly shopped out. My mom was a high school drop out with a GED and had worked numerous jobs, most of which didn't pay well. I mostly went to thrift shops to get my clothes. Not to mention I wasn't big on the whole shopping experience.

"Afterward we'll go to that Italian restaurant, Ambrogio," Angela said. "I heard their food is so good."

"Guys can I meet you down at the restaurant?" I said knowing I couldn't get through more shopping.

"Are you sure Bella?" Jessica asked. I was more than positive. "Yeah," I said. "I saw a book store a few blocks down, I'll just have a quick look and then I'll meet you at the restaurant, in like an hour?" I asked.

"We'll go with you to the book store Bella," Angela said. "It's getting dark."

"No, don't be silly," I told her. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Besides the shoe store may close."

"Bella is right, Ange," Jessica said as she put her dress down on the counter. "She has her cell, we'll call her if anything."

Loaded with their individual purchases Jessica and Angela walked down to the shoe store. I turned in the opposite direction and began my trek to the little bookstore I had seen on the drive here. The truth was I didn't really remember where I had seen it, I had been so angry with Tyler over the whole prom situation. Besides the fact that I couldn't tolerate another minute of shopping, I also needed time to think and I couldn't do that with Angela and Jessica asking me endless questions about what color shoe they should buy. There were so many things swimming around in my head. My dad's investigation had me freaked. Edward Cullen had me freaked. The happenings of the last several days were enough to send me down a spiral.

I was so immersed in my thoughts that I hardly noticed the quiet footsteps a little ways behind me. A quick look back reveled two men walking at a sedate pace several yards away. I don't know what it was about them that made me uncomfortable, but I couldn't shake the feeling that they were following me, despite their lazy stride. I quickened my steps a little, it had gotten dark and most of the stores around me were closed. I was so wrapped up in my problems that my feet had led me to a place I hardly recognized, and the ever-darkening sky wasn't helping. The men still walked steadily behind me, never changing course. At this point I was paying more attention to them, than to my surroundings and the foot traffic was dwindling. I was heading into a part of Port Angeles I would never dare venture into alone. The pretty storefronts were gone. To be replaced by tall factory walls covered with graffiti.

I crossed the street, still hoping it was a coincidence that they still hadn't change course but I was dismayed to find that after several seconds they crossed as well. Now I was sure they were following me. This was the time if any to take out my cell and call the police. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. I almost dropped it when I notice the battery bar flashing, _no, no! _I thought. A second later my phone turned itself off. _I forgot to charge my battery!_

Conspicuously I stashed my phone back in my bag._ No one could reach me!_ I was trapped. _What could they want,_ I thought. It had become pitch black, and the only source of light came from dim street lamps that cast eerie shadows on the walls. There was no one in sight, not even a homeless person. What kind of town was this!

The uneven pavement was hard to see and I stumbled a few times, each time the men seemed to hurry, as if they were lions circling an injured animal. At this point I had no clue where I was. The most I could do was keep walking and hope that I would get to someone, before they got to me.

At last I saw signs of life, a cars headlights shone bright. The footsteps stopped as the car approached and I made the decision to run in front of it. It came whizzing past and swerved around me, honking its horn and missing me by inches.

"Stop!" I screamed, tears clouding my eyes. The two men started to chuckle, their laughter loaded with intention. This was when fear gripped me. I dropped my bag and started running. They ran after me. They hadn't been after me to mug me, I was certain of this now. They would have taken my bag and let me be if that were the case. They had other thoughts in mind. I had run from this back in California only to fall to the same trap here in Washington.

I ran faster and faster, but I could tell they were catching up. My legs were burning, and my lungs were empty. My body was telling me to stop; it was starting to shut down. My mouth felt dry and my throat ached.

Then I saw it, a ray of hope. Some how I had wound myself around and ended up at the piers, I could see people far off in the distance walking around, teens talking, a woman and her dog. If only I could get there, if I could push my body a little further, just a little further.

I felt it before I realized what had happened. Something had taken hold of my arm and yanked me back sending me reeling to the ground. Three others joined the laughter of the two men.

"Baby, where you going?" said a man in baggy jeans.

"Yeah, gave us quite a chase," said one of the men who had followed me to the others.

"Don't you wanna play with us sugar?" Said another licking his lips. "We can play nice?"

Their laughter echoed off the walls, multiplying it by ten. "Help me!" I shouted. But my throat was far too dry to make sound. It came out more like a rasp.

Two of them pulled me to my feet by my upper arms and held me up. I tried to shake them off but I was far too tired to put much force.

"I got first dibs," said one of the men who had chased me, as he unbuckled his belt. "I saw her first," said the other one-stepping in front of him. The first one stepped back, "I get her second then," he smiled revealing three gold teeth.

"Please let me go," I managed to croak.

"Don't worry baby, you gonna like it," he told me, moving closer to me. He ran his hand up my body and cupped my breast. I sobbed quietly, not having the strength for more than that.

_Fight back, Bella! Don't let this happen! _I heard a voice inside me say. I clenched my fist, steeling myself for a fight. I wasn't going to let them hurt me without hurting them back. As his grubby hand went up my shirt, I slowly drew my knee near his crotch. He gasped as all the strength I had left in my body went towards that one kick. The others let me go in surprise. I tried to run but they quickly over-powered me again. This time they held me from behind, making sure that they were away from any appendages that could cause them pain.

"You fucking Bitch!" He screamed grabbing the crotch of his pants with one hand. "I was gonna treat you nice, girl, now..."

The last of his words drowned out by the revving of an engine, as a silver Volvo sped down the street, stopping only inches away. Edward hopped out of the car, a dark, menacing glare in his eyes.

"Yo, are you crazy," the golden toothed man said. "You must have a death wish, bitch."

A low growl escaped his bow shaped lips as he slowly walked forward. His hands fisted. Something inside Edward was radiating rage and I felt myself step back along with the five men surrounding me.

"Bella," he said softly. "Get in the car." I rushed to the passenger side of the silver Volvo, and almost dived in, slamming the door behind me and hitting the lock. I curled myself into a little ball on the seat.

"That there," said the golden tooth man, pointing at me. "That there is my bitch. You ain't gonna take her without a fight, motha' fucker, ya hear." I saw a quick, silver flash against the headlights of the Volvo and knew instantly what it was. In the golden tooth man's hand was a knife.

"Edward!" I screamed and fumbled for the lock on the door.

"Stay there, Bella," he said. At his words I instantly went quiet.

"She doesn't belong to anyone," Edward said walking slowly toward the man with the knife. His buddies didn't seem ready to back him up. In fact two of them had already ran off, while the other two stood behind him looking uncertain.

"You are scum, garbage, and like garbage you need to be thrown out," he said reaching the man. Edward was considerately taller than him. He picked the golden tooth man by the collar and lifted him up several inches into the air. I saw as the man's hand went up to knife Edward and I cringed, but Edward managed to snag his hand before the blade made contact with his skin. I heard the unmistakable snap of a bone and the man dropped the knife on the floor, he stared wide-eyed at Edward before the pain registered and he gave a blood-curling scream.

"What the fuck are you?" he shouted.

"The monster that sleeps under your bed," Edward told him and with minimal effort, as if he were throwing a pillow, he flicked the golden tooth man and sent him sprawling into a nearby dumpster. The two others ran away as fast as they could, tripping over their own feet.

I could see the unconscious silhouette of the golden tooth man, highlighted by the headlights of the Volvo. Edward finally jumped back into the car and slammed the door shut. He revved the engine, and reversed the car, doing a u-turn that sent it spinning around and sped down the street in the direction of the pier and people.

"Is he dead?" I asked still shocked from what had happened.

"No," Edward told me in a low growl. "Do you want him to be?"

I remained silent, afraid of my answer to that question. My hands were still shaking and my legs were cramping slightly, my heart beat a mile a minute.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked without looking at me.

"No," I answered. "But I will be. Thanks to you." I turned my face to look at him, and that's when I noticed the way he clutch the steering wheel. "Are _you_ okay?"

"No," he said. "I'm not okay." His body began to vibrate and seconds later the car came to a stop. I looked around. He had parked right in front of Ambrogio Italian Restaurant. _How had he known where to take me? _ I wondered. "I should have done more," he said. "I should hunt them all down and rip them limb from limb, they didn't deserve mercy."

"No that's okay, I don't need you to go to jail because of me," I said. I decided not to mention the inhuman show of strength he had displayed back there. It didn't seem like he was ready to mention it either.

His body was still shaking and his breath was coming in shallow bursts. "Say something... anything. Help to dissipate my anger," he told me.

My mind started racing but I couldn't come up with one thing that didn't seem to be taboo. I could feel his agitation mounting, and I wasn't sure what he would do. It made me nervous. In my panic I blurted the first thing that came to mind. "You have beautiful shaped lips." Just like that the shaking stopped and he slowly turn to me, a half smile on his face.

"Thanks," he said.

I turned quickly and stared at the dash. I could feel my face growing hot. My cheeks must have looked like two Christmas globes. I buried my face in my hands.

"I shouldn't have said that," I mumbled.

"No, you shouldn't have," he said. There was cheer in his voice and I felt confident that his anger had passed.

"You look calmer," I told him.

"Do I?" he asked. He propped his head on the steering wheel, "yeah, I guess I am." I stared at him in silence. "My temper gets the better of me sometimes," he finally said.

His head snapped up and he looked towards the restaurant, "I think we should stop your friends, before they tell your father that you've gone MIA." I looked over at the restaurants entrance, surely enough Angela and Jessica were coming out with worried looks on their faces. Jessica had her cell phone to her ear, no doubt calling mine. Edward unlocked the car and I rushed out to catch up to them.

"Jess, Ange!" I cried. Their heads swiveled towards the sound of my voice and their faces relaxed. "Okay, Bella," Jessica sighed. "That was so not funny. We were really worried about you."

"I'm so sorry!" I told her. "I got... uh... lost." There was no need to make them go into a panic. Angela looked at me suspiciously. She was far too observant.

"I knew we should have gone with you," she began but I quickly cut her off. "No, it was fine. Edward found me."

They both looked over at Edward, noticing him for the first time behind me. "Hi," he said. "I found her meandering the streets, took pity on her and decided to give her a ride." My eyes narrowed at the word pity, like I was a lost puppy or something.

"Thanks for that," Angela said.

"Are you guys still hungry?" I asked.

"We already ate," said Jessica. "We thought you wouldn't be too late, and we ordered... The food came and you still weren't coming, so... We couldn't ask them to take it back!" She held up the doggy bag sheepishly.

"It's okay Jess," I told her. "I'm not very hungry anyway," I lied.

Edward stepped in front of me. "Would you guys mind if I take Bella home? I haven't eaten yet, and truthfully I'm starving," he asked Jessica and Angela. "I could stay and eat, and I'd love it if you'd join me," he said turning to me. His eyes melted into mine. How could I say no when he looked at me like that? Couldn't he suspect my feelings for him? The way my heart skipped a beat every time he looked at me.

"Bella?" Angela's voice said somewhere in front of me. "Bella, do you want to stay and eat?" She asked.

"Eat?" I asked, Angela's words finally registering. "Yeah," I said. "Yeah, eat, that's what I want."

She looked at me with a curious look on her face. Jessica couldn't get her eyes off Edward, "That's good," She told me without looking at me. "We'll see you later then. Edward headed towards the restaurant entrance, and I looked back at my friends in time to see Angela's worried face and Jessica mouth "call me," her pinky and index finger extended over her ear. I nodded and headed back to Edward.

Ambrogio's was a cute little restaurant. The walls were painted a soft beige color and decorated with trellises covered in fake ivy vines. There were checkered tablecloths on all the tables and generic painting of grapes, wine bottles and stoneware littered the walls. The lights were dimmed to insight a romantic atmosphere.

I followed Edward to the little booth in a corner to the entrance.

"I don't think Angela likes me," he told me when we were standing in front of the Maitre D'.

"I'm sure you're wrong," I told him.

"No, I'm not," he said.

"Table for two," Edward told the man behind the small booth. I couldn't help but notice the look he gave Edward and then me. He directed us to a booth in the back, away from the noise, and I was thankful for that.

"Your server will be by here momentarily," said the maitre d' with a flick of his hand. He handed us our menus and walked quickly away.

Edward took one glance at the menu, smiled ruefully and then put it down.

"What? Didn't you say you were starving?" I told him, while I made a show of scanning my menu.

He smiled at me. "Yeah, um, I'm not that big a fan of Italian food.

"Really? Then why are we here?" I told him. I slowly began to rise from my seat.

"Bella, no, stop. I exaggerated when I said I was starving, I'm actually not that hungry at the moment. I just thought you wouldn't stay if I said that."

"If you would have asked me to stay I would have," I said. I caught a glimpse of his half moon smile before he vanished behind my menu.

Moments later a peppy girl with too much cleavage and not enough shirt, came over with a notepad. "Hi," she said in her best cheerleading voice. "My name is Samantha and I'll be your server." She was older than me, about nineteen or twenty, with a blond dye job and green eyes." What can I get you to drink?" She asked smiling at Edward seductively, not even giving me a passing glance.

"Bella, What do you want to drink?" Edward asked me.

"I'd like a Coke?" I said.

"Make that two," Edward told her without looking at her.

"I'll be right back with that," she said, and within minutes returned with two Cokes.

"Would you like to order now?" Samantha asked Edward.

Edward lowered his head and kept his mouth closed, but still she waited for him to speak. Knowing how determined Edward became when he ignored someone, I decided to order first. "Um, I want the..."

Just one second," she said motioning at me with her hand. "Sir, I could give you our specials if you prefer, or some more time if you aren't ready?"

"I didn't answer not because I didn't know what I wanted but because I didn't want anything. Now I think it's terribly rude of you not to take the order of someone who does want to eat." Edward motioned towards me, giving the girl an icy stare.

In the wave of Edward's indifference I only felt pity for Samantha. I knew first hand what he could do to a girl's ego.

Samantha's pretty pink flush faded away, replaced instead by a sickly pallor. She turned to me with shaky fingers and tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry miss," she said, her voice cracking. "Can I take your order?"

"It's okay..." I said feeling like an insect. "Can I have the Chicken Fettuccini, please?"

"Of course... would you like the soup or salad with that?" she asked.

"Salad, please." I couldn't look the girl in the eyes.

"Alright," she said. "I'll be right back with your order."

"Thanks."

When the girl walked away I gave Edward a dirty look. "That was a really crappy thing to do," I told him.

"I don't know to what you're referring to?" he said.

"You don't realize what you do to people?" I asked. "What you do to women? What you do to…" I stopped before I blurted that it was the same way he affected me. I wasn't ready to confess that part.

"What I do?" he repeated in his soft voice.

"Yes," I said taking a sip of my Coke. The bubbles burst through me, and I only now realized how much I needed it. "You can't blame her for acting like that. It's only to be expected."

"You don't act like that?" he told me.

"You have no idea," I muttered.

Samantha came back with my salad, and I gobbled it down almost instantly. Before I realized it the Coke was all gone as well. "Feeling a bit better?" Edward asked me.

"Yeah, thanks," I said. I was glad I had something in my stomach. If I was being honest I was starting to feel the effects of what had happened to me. Edward seemed to notice because he pushed his Coke towards me. The ice had begun to melt but I took it greedily needing the rush of sugar to ease my frazzled nerves.

"Twanks," I said through the straw as I gulp his soda down. He smiled at me and nodded.

Samantha came back with my fettuccini, and place the dish in front of me, this time without looking at Edward. "Would you like me to refill your soda?" she asked with a grin. Her eyes were red and her makeup was smudged, I could tell she had been crying wherever she had gone. I nodded and she took the empty glass. "I'll be back to see if there is anything else you need." She rushed so fast away from us you'd think we were on fire.

"I was worried about you," he said looking down at me.

"You don't have to be, I've survived worse," I told him. His brow furrowed like he would like to know what could be worse than almost getting attacked by several men.

"I'm glad you were there though… again… to save me," I said.

"You sound glad," he said sarcastically.

"It's not that I'm not grateful. It's just that I don't like to be the damsel in distress. I usually have better judgment than that but lately…"I looked up at him. "I've been distracted."

"Am I the source of your distraction?" He asked with a frown.

"How could you guess?" I took a mouthful of pasta to stop myself from saying more.

He turned silent, moody, brooding. He stared down at the scratches on the table. "You shouldn't be so interested in me."

This was it. If I didn't say something now I'd probably regret it for the rest of my life. I moistened my dry lips with my tongue. He stared at my mouth, at the moment when my tongue poke out and ran over my upper lip. _Perhaps he was just as interested in me as I was in him?_ I thought. The look he gave me made me bolder, he made me feel sexy, it was something I never knew I could be.

"I don't remember asking your permission?" I told him meeting his gaze with my own. "I could be interested in whomever I want." I wouldn't back down, no matter what.

"You wouldn't if you knew…" he let the sentence hang, and I knew he was trying to intimidate me again with his riddles.

"I know a lot about you already," I told him.

"Oh, really," he said teasingly. "What is it that you know?"

"I know that you have a siblings. I know that your dad is a doctor at the hospital. I know that you skip school to go hunting," I said with a laugh. He laughed too. "I know that your eyes change color," I said and he immediately sobered. "I know that you have super human strength and can run like cheetah. I know that your touch is cool."

"Stop," he told me. But I couldn't stop not yet. "I know that you're the most amazing guy I've ever met, and that I owe my life to you twice over. I know that you occupy my thoughts and don't let me sleep at night."

"Stop," he said again but softer this time.

"I can't stop. Why can't you see that," I told him. "I can't because I really like you, even the things I can't explain, and I don't care anymore if you know."

He stared at the trellis wrapped in fake vines that covered the window.

"What are you thinking?" I asked looking up at him. He looked back at me with sad eyes.

"I'm thinking this was a very bad idea," he said. "I should have let you go with your friends."

The confession hit me like a brick in the face. "Yeah," I said bitterly. "You should have. But you didn't."

His eyes swiveled to meet mine.

"Why are you here? Why are you everywhere I need you to be for that matter?" I said rising up from my seat and smacking the table with both hands.

"You're making a scene," he said looking at the people further off who were eyeing us suspiciously.

I plopped down on the spongy seat. "How did you know I was here, in Port Angeles? How?"

"Who cares?" He said. "I was in the right place at the right time. I'm glad I was here, or else I wouldn't have been able to hear what they were thinking."

"Hear what they were thinking?" I said. My hand froze with the fork half way to my mouth. The pasta slid from the fork back to the plate.

He froze too as if he just now realized what he had said.

"Hear what they were thinking? How-"

"Never mind" he begun but I interrupted him.

No, no! You aren't getting out of this," I said. "Tell me now or I swear…"

He smiled at me. "You're like a volcano," he said.

"Tell me," I said. He sighed in defeat. "Are you sure you want to know? There is no going back," he told me.

I gulped, remembering my research on vampires back in my room, and nodded. I was already too far down to head back.

"I followed you," he said in a rush. "But I wasn't being careful… reading too many people at once gives me a headache, and Port Angeles was packed with tourists."

At first I stayed silent even though I had a million questions. But I couldn't help but ask, "You can read minds?" I was a rational person. In a rational world mind reading just wasn't possible, it didn't happen. It was the stuff of fairy tales and mythical beings, of corny science fiction movies.

"You don't believe me," he told me. He glanced back to the family who had been eyeing us. "See those people? The father is thinking about a football game he left back home. The woman is thinking how they don't go out as much as they should. The girl is thinking about sneaking out with her boyfriend as soon as her parents go to bed. The little boy wants to be home playing video games."

I looked at the family. The husband looked bored, he moved the food on his plate lazily. "I wonder what the stats are now?" His wife eyed him. "You think I don't know you're recording it?" She laughed. "How long has it been since we've gone out like this?" she told him. Her daughter rolled her eyes and tapped something into her cell phone.

Edward turned to me. "See, told you."

I stared opened mouth.

"You know what my biggest problem is?" he asked.

I shook my head, too stunned by what had just happened to respond. "My biggest problem is you."

"Me," I said with a squeak.

"Not you exactly," he said resting his head on his palm. "But the fact that no matter how much I try, I can't read you. You're like a void that sucks everything away and makes everything normal. When I concentrate on you, I can't hear anything." He looked at me with his piercing eyes for a second and then turned away dissatisfied.

"Instead I focused on the people around you. People who saw you, talked to you. It's not very reliable, but at least I knew you were okay. After a while though it became too much for me. I was in so much pain I had to shut everyone out, and that's when I lost track of you. No one seemed to have seen you. It was getting darker and there were less people to listen to which was both a relief and curse. I started to panic, and begun to rely on other senses to track you down. I found your bag, by the way." My eyes widen in disbelief. "That thing helped me find you," he told me. I figured you couldn't be far behind."

"What you did to that guy," I said in a whisper.

"I should have done more," I told him. "I saw what he planned to do to you."

"What are _you_?" I blurted without thinking.

I could tell my question hurt him.

"Are you done?" he asked. It was like a spell had been broken. I saw that someone had placed another soda in front of me, and I hadn't even noticed. My plate was empty and I wasn't the least bit thirsty anymore.

"Yeah," I said.

On cue, as if she was waiting behind a corner or something, Samantha came to us with the check.

"Wow, you're fast," I said. She smiled briefly before Edward said, "I waved her over a second ago." I hadn't notice that either. Samantha's glow dimmed.

"I hope you enjoyed everything. Please come again," she said and walked off.

"I hope you leave her a good tip," I said to Edward.

"Fine," he said. I caught a glimpse of a hundred dollar bill before he stuffed it inside the small black leather folder.

"How much did you…"

"Come on," he said.

As Edward opened the door to the restaurant I felt the cold wind that I hadn't been aware of earlier. The night had turned deathly cold and a wandering fog had begun to cover the road. I wrapped my arms around myself realizing just now that I had forgotten my jacket in Jessica's car.

Edward noticed, shook off his own jacket, and handed it to me. His jacket was too big for me, the sleeves came down over my hands, and the waist reached down to my thighs but in it I felt closer to Edward than I had ever felt in all the times that we'd sat together.

I walked by his side, taking more steps to match his wide strides. I was deflated, like a balloon that had lost all it's helium and was sinking down to earth slowly.

Edward opened his door and I got in his car, I leaned my head against the window, which was cool, close my eyes and cuddled deeper into his jacket smelling his leftover scent. I didn't even hear when Edward jumped into the car, or felt when the car started moving. All I wanted was to live in this moment for the rest of my life.

_I don't know how well I edited this chapter. I had Despicable me in the background, my daughter's favorite movie. Consequently gave me the idea of Edward's "gift" giving him a headache. You can imagine how I felt, trying to write with Despicable me in the background, UGH._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Theory

"How does it work?" I asked. "Your mind reading thing?" I hadn't dared to look at him since we left the restaurant.

His mouth turned down in a slight frown. I could tell he wasn't comfortable discussing it. I was about to turn back to the window when his soft voice broke the silence.

"I don't know how it works. It just does," he said.

"Well can you hear Angela right now, or Jessica?" I asked.

"No," he said. "I have to be within a certain radius. It's like a radio antenna, I pick up several voices at once, first it's bits and pieces but if I hear what I want and I concentrate I can catch everything."

"You said it gives you a headache?" I asked. "Why?"

His knuckles tightened on the steering wheel. I could almost feel the tension that was curling around his body. He wasn't happy talking to me about this.

"Sometimes… the reception of the radio antenna gets very strong," he said. He looked at me for a second, his gold eyes shining. "Have you ever been in a room filled with people all talking loudly at once?"

My mom had once forced me to go to a school dance when I was in Junior High. I remembered how loud it had been, everyone talking over everyone else, kids screaming and laughing. I could only imagine how it felt to have that in your brain all the time.

"Yeah," I said.

"Well it's like that, but I can't escape it. I want to shut it off but I can't. It takes all my power to dim the voices." He said. "There is no filter, I hear every thought. I hear the good, and the bad."

There was pain in his voice. This was a personal pain, one that he was sharing with me.

His nostrils flared a little and I saw him wince.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

He focused on the road and didn't look at me when he said, "I'm fine."

"But you can't hear me?" I asked just to keep him talking.

"No, I can't," he looked both relieved and extremely irritated at the same time.

"You're not missing anything trust me," I told him. "It's not hard to guess my thoughts." I remembered the first time I spoke with Edward, how he had guessed all the things that were going on in my life just by looking at my face.

"I hate how you belittle yourself," he told me. "You are such a complex individual. There are so many things hidden behind your veneer of calmness. Your emotions are a guarded treasure that you seem to keep locked inside yourself. I'm missing quite a lot."

He met my eyes in the darkness, and I felt like he was again trying to siphon my thoughts from my mind.

"Haven't given up yet?" I asked amused.

"Never," he said and I laughed.

"I wonder why you can't hear me?" I asked.

"That's a very good question," he told me. "I wish I had the answer." His voice sounded happier. "You seem to be asking a lot of questions about me," he said. "Can't I have a turn?"

"Well it looks like you already started," I said with a chuckle. "It's only fair, shoot."

"Why did you ask me, 'what are you'?" he asked. "What do you think I am? How long have you been wondering?"

My eyes widened. I really didn't want to discuss that right now. I didn't want to denote all the theories I had in my head. They were going to sound stupid and childish. But after his confession I couldn't think anything I said would sound even slightly ridiculous. I cleared my throat, stalling for time.

"Don't stall," he said with a laugh. I could feel the car slowing down and notice the Welcome sign of Forks shining like a beacon.

"Okay," I sighed. "I started wondering ever since… the day you saved me from Tyler's van. Then I heard a story…" I grunted in embarrassment. Great, now I was talking about Native American legends.

"A story?" he asked, but he didn't seem amused by it at all.

"Yeah," I said. "A friend of mine from La Push told me about a tribe called "THE COLD ONES." He said you guys were that tribe…"

"Does anyone know he told you about that?" he asked. I could understand why he wouldn't want people to know that someone had accused his family of being a tribe of immortal demons."

"No," I said. "We were alone."

I stared at him. His face was hard, like he was waging an internal war against himself. Then all the sudden he relaxed his body becoming calm, defeated. His shoulders slumped but his face was joyful. I could only stare wondering what was going on in his head. I wanted to know the reason behind the radical change.

"Keep going," was all he told me.

"Alright," I said. "That day I did a little research… Turns out the Quileute aren't the only ones with stories about THE COLD ONES."

"No, I wouldn't expect so," he told me.

I continued like he hadn't said anything. I had a feeling I was on the right track. "THE COLD ONES… they're just another form of Vampire."

"The Quileute's are too superstitious," he said.

"They don't seem to think it's only a legend," I told him. "There was another boy. He was seriously mad when Lauren mentioned I had invited you to First Beach. Why is that?"

"No more questions for me," he said. "This is your turn, and you haven't answered the most important question of all. What do you think I am?"

"I don't care what you are," I said. "Like I said at the restaurant. I like you, even if I can't explain why you do the things you do."

He turned to me, "and I said you would care if you knew…"

"Well I don't care," I told him. "I don't care about any of it. I only care about you."

He laughed bitterly. "You wouldn't care if were a monster? Even if I were an inhuman abomination, it would all be okay with you because I look good?"

A little shiver went up my spine. _Was this confirmation? _I thought._ Was Edward Cullen… Were all the Cullen's…Vampires?_

"The way you look has nothing to do with the way I feel about you." I wanted to add the word 'ass' but thought about it.

"In other words if I were as ugly as an ogre with a heart of gold you would have fallen for me anyway?" he said with a snort.

I silently thought about how to answer his question. It was true that the way he looked had been the initial stimulant to my feelings. But it wasn't what had made me fall in love, though I would never mention it to him. I had to be very careful about what I would say next, and I had to do it without letting my temper get out of control. He had essentially called me shallow.

"I hate how much you belittle yourself sometimes," I said, repeating his same words. "You treated me like I was a piece of gum stuck to your shoe, and made my first day at Forks a living hell. To tell you the truth I hated you. Then you left, and it was something interesting for a bit and then I forgot about you. If you had continued to ignore me, I would have gone through high school and continued on with my life, I would have forgotten you. But then I talked to you, and realized what a truly wonderful person you were. I wondered what made you act the way you did. Why you were so clearly bitter about life, and I wanted to change your view of things. Every time you frown, I wanted you to laugh. You don't understand the way I saw you at first, to me you were an ogre, but then I saw you had a heart of gold and I fell for you."

He stared at me from the corner of his eyes. Clearly he was stunned. I was just as surprised by what I had said.

"You're a…" I began but couldn't finish.

"A Vampire," he finished for me. "Now that you know what I am, what are you going to do?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"In my mind you were amassing a village mob and burning down my house," he said.

He pulled into my driveway. A lead weight seemed to fall into my stomach when I saw my house. Everything seemed so normal but it wasn't. The lights were on so I knew my dad must be home. Outwardly everything was the same. It was just me who had changed. Suddenly I realized that nothing would look the same to me anymore. Now that I knew things like Vampires existed. They walked among us, and went to school with us. They had jobs at hospitals. It all seemed so bizarre.

He pulled at his jacket a bit, jarring me out my thoughts. "Bella, I don't want you to go."

"It's still early yet," I told him looking at the bright blue numbers on his dash. "Do you don't mind subjecting yourself to a bit more questioning?"

He grunted, but in a bemused way. It made me warm inside. "What do you want to know?"

My first question had been how did it happen? But then a new one popped into my mind. "When did it happen? How old where you?"

He smiled as he dug into his memory. "It happened in nineteen- eighteen, and I was seventeen years old."

"That would make you, ninety-three?" I said.

"Yes," there was a twinkle in his eye.

"No wonder," I said to myself. "I always knew I'd end up with some old guy."

Edward laughed.

"Hey, how come you can just walk around in daylight?" I asked. If he was really a vampire, then he should have burst into a pile of ash, or something.

"The legends are… highly exaggerated." He told me. "They are usually made to protect us, we don't burn with the sun. But we can't just go walking around in direct sunlight either, which is why we chose Forks."

This town was the perfect place for someone who didn't want sun exposure that's for sure. "That's why you cut school on sunny days."

"Among other reasons, that's one of them, yes."

Whatever those other reasons were he didn't seem to want to go into detail and I didn't push the issue. "How about all the other things that they say about Vamps, are those true?"

"I haven't' been keeping up on what they say about us anymore, can you refresh my memory?"

"Do you sleep in coffins?" I asked.

"Oh, god. No. That would be horribly claustrophobic," he said with a laugh. He paused, gauging me for a minute then he said, "I don't sleep."

"What?" I asked.

"Yeah, not a wink," he told me.

"Okay," I said. "How about the garlic stuff, and the crosses, and stakes?" I was avoiding the real topic and he knew it as well.

"How about my diet?" He asked, looking over at me with a steely expression. "Aren't you going to ask me what I eat?"

"According to Jacob," I said.

"Jacob?" He asked. "Your Quileute friend? What did he say?"

"He said that you eat animals," I told him.

"I don't eat animals," Edward told me. "I drink their blood."

I gulped, and tried to compose my face into something that wouldn't give my revulsion away.

He withdrew into himself again. "Bella, I'm a dangerous creature. You being in this car with me, this isn't right."

I studied my hands, the scratches from the excursion to First Beach had scabbed over and the scabs had already begun to peel off. I ran a finger over the thickest scab. How could I make him see how important he was to me? I've never had anything. My life had been a waiting game. I was always waiting for something, and I never realized that I was waiting for him, until he came into my life.

"Are animals… tastier," I said swallowing the lump in my throat.

"It's like eating meat substitute," he said. "It keeps you full, but doesn't satisfy like a real hunk of steak would. Sometimes I get cravings."

"But you aren't hungry now," I told him.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"Well," I said feeling like an idiot for even bringing it up. I wasn't even sure I was right. "You're eyes. They're like a gauge. When they're empty, they turn pitch black, and when your full… but not satisfied," I laughed, he smiled. "They're a sort gold color, and they give off a glow, but only if you pay really close attention to it."

"You're definitely observant," he said.

"So, you did go hunting," I said. "But not for recreation like I thought."

"No, not for recreation," he said. "If it were up to me I would have stayed. But I can't be around you hungry. I would stay with you every single day of my endless life if I could."

It was the closest he had ever come to telling me he cared about me too.

"I told you to be careful," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"The scratches on your palms," he said. "Those are from First Beach. What happen?"

"It was stupid," I said. "We went to see the tide-pools, but before we got to that side of the beach we had to cross this slippery stretch of rocks. It was a bad idea."

I shivered, remembering my dream of Edward as a Vampire in that same dark forest. How eerily close to reality I had been. My subconscious mind had unburied the truth before my conscious one.

"You always seem to be getting into trouble," he said.

"I'm a magnet for it," I said smiling.

"Yes, you are," he told me, reaching out with his hand. He pressed fingers on my cheek. His touch was soft like silk and made my cheek grow hot. I was glad for the coolness of his skin that balanced my temperature's sudden climb.

I leaned into his fingers, pressing my whole face into his open palm. "Why do you do this to me?" he asked. He leaned a bit towards me, our faces inches apart. I stared down at his lips and he stared down on mine. I saw as his bright white teeth bit his full bottom lip. Those lips that I wanted to feel over mine so much.

The wind rustled the limbs of the trees outside, and just like that the mood was lost. Edward's eyes flew open, and he straightened his head. He looked over in the direction of the rustling leaves.

"It's just the wind," I told him trying to regain the moment. I tried to pull him to me again but it was like pulling on a stone anvil and after awhile I gave up.

"Are you going to be in school tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yes," he told me still distracted.

I took off his warm jacket, and handed it to him. He looked down at me, and frowned. "Are you crazy, it's freezing, keep the jacket on, do you want to catch pneumonia?"

I pulled it back on. Truth was I didn't want to let it go. Never mind what my dad would say if he saw me with it on, I just had to make sure he didn't see it.

I opened the door to his Volvo when another burst of wind shook the leaves. The thick fog still swirled lazily around his tires.

"Bella," he said. "Promise me you won't go into those woods by yourself."

"You're being paranoid," I told him. He stared seriously back at me.

"Promise me."

"Fine," I said. "I promise." He reached back and pulled my tote bag off the back seat. "Here don't forget this. Good night."

I looked back at Edward as I unlocked my house door. He stared at the same tree with narrowed eyes. A sudden thought occurred to me, _what if he wasn't being paranoid? _The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

I hurriedly turned the knob and walked into my house then slammed the door behind me and locked it. I took off Edward's jacket and hung it between two old raincoats that didn't fit my dad anymore. The raincoats completely hid the expensive fabric of the jacket in their cheap plastic.

My dad was sprawled on the couch asleep, when I walked into the living room. The TV was on ESPN, but the game had long been over, instead of baseball a pair of ice skaters glided across the ice.

I reach over to the remote, and turned the TV off. The sound of the television powering off jerked him awake. "Hey I was watching that," he said.

"Yeah, Japan was winning," I told him putting my tote down on the coffee table.

"Japan?" he asked.

"Why don't you go to bed? You look tired." I told him.

"Yeah, I think I will." He got up and walked to the bathroom.

I folded the blanket on the couch, and fluffed the cushions. "You had fun?" He yelled as he brushed his teeth.

"Yeah," I called back, faking cheer. "I really did."

He came out of the bathroom, a face towel tossed over his shoulder.

"Glad to hear it," he told me. "Are you going to bed, or are you going to hang down here all night?"

"I'm tired," I said. "I'll head off to bed soon, I just have to do a couple of things first."

My dad shrugged and walked up to bed. I heard his door slam. Softly, I tip toed to the phone and dialed Jessica. She picked up on the first ring.

"Okay," she said not even bothering to say hello. "How was it?"

"It was fine, we had dinner, he brought me home," I told her. My hand was sleek with sweat, and was shaking slightly.

"That's it?" she asked. "Didn't he tried anything…"

"No, he didn't," I told her.

"Did you try anything?" she asked.

"No," I said.

I heard her sigh. "Bella, you're so not interesting."

I rolled my eyes. "Listen, I forgot my jacket in your car can you bring it with you to school tomorrow?"

"Yeah," she huffed.

"Thanks," I said. She hung up without saying a word.

It hit me when I was in the shower, the hot water running down my battered body. Tears started running down my face, and were washed away as quickly as they fell. I could feel the place where the gold tooth man had grabbed me. I felt his fingers circling my arm like a manacle. His imprint would always be with me, even when the bruises faded. I gave out a sob, and had to clamp my hand over my mouth. I didn't want my dad to hear. The thought of having to tell him what had happened to me seemed impossible. But it was something I had to do. These monsters were out there still, and I didn't want someone else to go through this or worse. I pictured myself down at the precinct giving a statement, and having to give a description. I would have to relive the nightmare over again. I shook. How could I have been so stupid, I thought. My body slumped down on the tub and I curled myself into a ball. If it hadn't been for Edward I wouldn't be here now, safe and sound. Thinking of Edward calmed me enough that I managed to crawl out of the tub and wrap myself in a blanket. I stuffed my dirty clothes in the dirty wash hamper, never wanting to see them again. I will probably just burn them.

My feet dragged as I walked up the stairs. It felt like I had two lead weights strapped to my ankles.

After pulling on a clean t-shirt and shorts, I curled myself under my quilt. I tried not to think about what happened, tried to erase the images, but they kept surfacing like a piece of drift wood bobbing along a river. The more I tried to suppress them the faster the popped back up. I felt nauseous. Vomit fought its way up my throat.

Luckily I didn't have to fight too hard to sleep. I was drained, physically and emotionally. The last thought to cross my mind before I lost consciousness was that now I know the truth about Edward Cullen.

_Please, please review, even if you didn't like it. You have free reign to call my writing anything you want. It would just give me incentive to fix my mistakes. I know I make a lot of them. I'm not a professional in the least. Writers, and people that love to write have the bad habit of falling in love with their work even when it's not so good. We need the help of others to help us see the error of our ways. Thanks in advance. _


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Interrogations

I woke up sore. My bones creaked when I pulled myself out of bed. _Last night couldn't have happened, _I thought as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes with the palm of my hand. It seemed more like a distant nightmare. When I tried to remember the faces of those five men they blurred and became indistinct. I pulled the covers off and sat up. I turned to look at my clock and almost swallowed my tongue. It blinked nine fifteen back and forth in bright red numbers. My stupid alarm hadn't gone off. I overslept and now I was really late for school.

The rain battered my window, which meant no more sun. I felt kind of sad to go back to the gloominess. I rushed around, trying to find my books and get ready at the same time. My room was a mess. I couldn't find anything to wear. The ugly brown sweater my mom gave me was still on the floor so I scooped it up and pulled it over my head, and then I went into my drawer for a clean pair of jeans. I bounced in place while I brushed my hair and tried to stuff my foot inside my sneaker. I stopped in front of my mirror for a quick look at my reflection.

My hair and the brown sweater made me looked like a cat coughed me up. All in all not a very pretty picture, but I couldn't dwell on it now. I rushed out of my room, clutching my school bag to my chest.

The house was silent. My dad most likely left for work early. I was relieved he wasn't home, I needed to tell him what happened to me, but I wasn't looking forward to it. He would probably be angry that I didn't tell him last night. On top of the fridge was a box of Pop tarts. I took a sleeve and left the open box on the counter. I pulled my coat out of the coat closet and walked out the door, shoving down my pastry.

The fog from last night had thickened, and I was lucky if I could see two inches in front of me. My heavy boots crunched the wet gravel beneath my feet. Hopefully I'd see my truck before I smacked into it.

But instead of my truck, I walked into a pair of very solid arms.

"Hey," Edward said looking down on me.

"What the hell?" I asked. "Have you been waiting here the whole time?"

"Not the whole time," he said without looking at me. "I didn't think you were going to be late."

"Okay?" I said, giving him a sidelong glance.

"It's pea soup," he told me with an apologetic smile. "I didn't want you to kill anyone."

"Ha-ha," I said as he guided me to his car.

"Shit," I said skidding to a stop. I looked over at him. He stared at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Not very lady like," he said.

"You don't like it cover your ears," I told him. He laughed for a second. "What's the matter?"

"I forgot your jacket inside," I said looking back at my house.

"Oh," he said. "Don't worry about it."

I looked at him. He had a light gray v-neck sweater that didn't seem warm at all. "Aren't you cold?" I asked.

He smiled. "Get inside already. Do you want to make us more late than we already are?"

When I had buckled myself in, he turned on the car and eased us out of my driveway. "How are you feeling?"

"About what?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "About everything."

"You have to be more specific. I went through a lot yesterday," I said.

"Bella," he said. "Don't make me say it."

I played with a string on my coat that had come out of the stitching. "If you're talking about what happened last night with those guys, I'll be alright. If you're talking about you being a vampire… I'm not sure how to feel about that yet."

"Have you changed your mind… about me?" he asked. "Do you think I'm evil inside?"

There was such sadness to his voice. How could there be evil in him? Then again how well did I know Edward? What do I know of his life? Of the things he did since turning into a vampire? So much about him was still a mystery.

"I think of you more in shades of gray. I have to know more about you to make an informed decision." I looked out the car window, not wanting to meet his gaze. I don't know if I had upset him or not. I could tell he was staring at the back of my head. I was suddenly very aware of what Edward was and of what he could do to me if he chose.

"You seem to surprise me a lot," he said. "When I think I know what you're going to say, you say something completely different." He breathed in relief.

"What did you think I was going to say?"

He laughed. "I thought you were going to say, "Oh, Edward! You couldn't possibly be evil. You saved my life so many times. How could someone evil do that?" He mimicked my voice, making his high pitched and girly.

I slapped his arm playfully. "I don't sound like that."

"I'm glad you don't sensor yourself around me," he said.

"Why would you think I'd do that?" I asked. He shrugged.

The school parking lot was quiet. Everyone was probably in classes. Edward parked his Volvo next to a shiny red BMW convertible. We still had about twenty minutes of first period left, no point disturbing the class for that.

"Nice car," I said pointing to the red BMW. "Wonder who it belongs to?"

"It's my sister Rosalie's," Edward told me. "She gave everyone a ride today."

"It's really nice," I said. "Why does she ride with you, then?"

"It's easier for all us to take one car to school," he said. "Besides mine is the least… flashy out of all our cars." He looked at the car with disgust.

I wonder if his family knew about Edward and I. If they did, I wonder what their thoughts of me where? Where they afraid I would say something to put them at risk? What would happen if they thought I was a danger to them? Would Edward protect me, against his own family? I wish I could read minds, just to know what was going on in Edward's head.

"Something tells me I'm not well liked among your family." I said. He avoided my eyes. "Why don't you trust me?"

"I want to let you into my life," he said turning to me. "But you have to understand, I don't trust easily. Not when putting my trust in someone could be so risky."

I lowered my gaze, and nodded. Of course I understood. I couldn't ask him to let go of his secrets when I wasn't ready to let go of mine.

He reached for the knob on his radio and turned it on. The car exploded with sound and vibrated with the beats of some unknown rock band.

"Why is it so loud?" I asked clamping my hands over my ears. There was a flash of movement and suddenly the music was lowered.

"Sorry," he said. "It helps to drown out the noise."

I looked over at the silent school. All I heard was the rhythmic beat of the song. It would probably drive me crazy to have that, and a thousand voices in my head at the same time.

"Why do you guys bother coming here?" I asked. They could avoid all this if they just stayed away.

"What would you think about a house full of people that were never seen?" He looked at me.

If I were being honest with myself, I would probably think they were hiding something. "Not everyone will think that way," I told him.

"Probably," he shrugged. "But in this town, one person thinking like that could be the end of my family. I know them better than you do," he said tapping his head. "So we try to act "_normal_." Behave like regular teens."

There was nothing even remotely normal about the Cullen family. But I guess being a pack of conceited kids, who thought they were superior to everyone else, was a better alternative than having people think they were doing something illegal, or disturbing cooped up in their house night and day.

"Come on," he said. "The bell's going to ring."

I followed him out of the car, and we walked side by side to my next class. Seconds later the bell rang. "How do you do that?" I asked.

He smiled down at me. "It's programmed. I memorized the times."

_Of course he did. Not everything has to be supernatural Bella_, I thought to myself.

His hand brushed mine and I instinctively reached out, holding it with my own. I felt his hand stiffened and I loosened my grip, but he didn't let go.

"I'll see you later," he said leaving me in front of the History building. I walked into class with a smile on my face.

It was as if Jessica was waiting for me when I walked into Trigonometry. She crossed her arms across her chest and stared daggers at me.

"Why did you lie to me?" she asked when I sat behind my desk.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You said Edward and you weren't going out," she told me. "But he was mysteriously absent from first period, and you were too. I checked." _What did she have, an eye in the sky?_

"Um, it could all be a coincidence," I said.

"But it's not," she told me. "You said you would tell me."

"Jess, honest, nothing happened," I told her. "We just talked, and that's all."

"Something tells me you wished it was more," she said. She gave me a Cheshire cat grin and leaned in towards me.

What was the point, she would uncover the truth eventually anyway. "I told him I like him," I sighed. Mr. Varner started the class but Jessica acted like she didn't notice, or didn't care.

I pulled my trig book out of my bag and opened it to the page on the board. "Hey," Jessica whispered. "Did he say how he feels about you?"

"No," I mouthed. She pouted, but I could see that under the pretend pity there was an underlying smugness.

Jessica straightened and buried her face in her notebook when Mr. Varner eyed us.

"You're the first girl he's ever talked to," she said. My face almost melted off from her irradiated jealousy. "I was starting to think he was gay." She shrugged in away that suggested she still thought he could be. "You never know."

Mr. Varner passed by us and smacked my desk with his hand. "Quit the chitchat."

Jessica waited until he was far enough away and then she threw a piece of paper at me.

He was a real a-hole when he first came to school. He thinks he's hot stuff cause his dad works at a hospital. He was a jerk to Lauren and me, when we went to say hi. What did you do for him to deem you worthy?

I looked up at her from the note. I didn't like what she was implying. She fixed her attention on the teacher and ignored me for the rest of the period. When the bell rang I got up and left Jessica behind.

Outside of class Edward leaned against the side of the building waiting for me. "Mind if I join you for lunch?" he asked. Jessica walked out a minute later and looked my way.

"Hey, Jessica," Edward said staring at her with narrowed eyes.

"Hey," she breathed, and ran in the opposite direction.

"You heard _that_," I said jerking my thumb at Jessica's retreating back.

"Yeah," he said. "Don't worry too much about it." He reached over and grabbed my hand. I looked up at him trying to read his face but he stared straight ahead.

"You really have to make friends," I told him.

He leaned his head back, "You mean friends like Jessica, no thanks," he said.

The lunchroom was really crowded by the time we got there. We slipped into the lunch line behind a couple of freshman girls, who kept sneaking looks at Edward, and giggling behind cupped hands. I tried my best to ignore them.

I stacked two slices of pizza, a tapioca pudding and a can of Pepsi haphazardly on my tray. He put a bowl of chili, an apple and a Coke on his.

"Well, I feel fat," I said looking at his tray. He laughed.

Mike looked up as Edward and I approached. "Hey Bella," he said. "Missed you in class today."

"I overslept," I said sitting down at the end of the long table. "Hey, can I call you tonight for the homework?" I asked. He nodded, staring at Edward as he took a seat opposite me. "Hey, Edward," Mike said.

"Hi," Edward told him.

Angela looked at me from behind her book with wide eyes. Edward turned to her with a friendly smile. "The Great Gatsby?" he said pointing at her book. "That's a classic." She lowered her book down a little.

"Yeah," she said. "It's really good. Have you read it?"

"Yep," he said. "About ten times, I never get tired of it." She smiled hugely. "I don't either. I love that time period."

"So do I," he told her.

Angela went back to her book but I could see a definite change in her expression.

The Lunchroom was noisy enough that I knew we wouldn't be overheard.

I leaned over and picked his apple off his tray and held it in my hand. "What would you do if someone asked you to eat this?"

He took the apple out of my hand, placed it to his lips and bit down on it. I heard the unmistakable crunch as he chewed and then swallowed.

"So you can eat fruit," I told him.

"I can eat anything," he said. "That doesn't mean I can taste it."

"You can't taste it?"

"Taste's like cardboard," he said. "Then again I can't be sure, I don't know what cardboard taste like."

I took a bite out of my pizza. It would be horrible not to be able to remember what pizza taste's like. It was my favorite food. If I couldn't taste pizza life was over.

"I can't wait for this weekend," I said.

"You still want to go?" he asked. "Even after what I told you about me? Aren't you scared?"

"Are you going to hurt me?" I asked.

"I would never hurt you."

"Then why should I be scared?" I told him.

He stared at me a second, then leaned in and said, "Actually, I had something else in mind."

I put my half eaten pizza down, "and what is that?"

"There's a place I want to show you," he said weighing my reaction. I stayed silent not sure what I should say. "Unless you really want to go to Seattle." He said hurriedly.

"I don't really care about Seattle," I told him.

"So you'll be okay not going?" he asked. I nodded and picked up my pizza again.

"But I'll drive," I said. He looked confused.

"You want to drive my car?"

"No, I want to drive mine," I said.

"Why?" He asked.

"My dad's been going nuts about this case his working on…" All blood I had in my body migrated to the tips of my toes leaving me cold as I realized something. My dad's voice pop into my head, _they looked like human bite marks. _

Edward turned away from me.

"Did you kill that security guard in Mason?" I gasped out. The room suddenly seemed too crowded.

"What?" he said. "No!"

"I'm not stupid Edward," I said. "If it wasn't you…" I turned to the Cullen table. All the Cullen's stared at me. "Who was it?"

"Relax," he said reaching over to pat my hand. I snatched it away before he could touch me.

"There are other vampires. Ones that don't abide by our rules, and don't want to conform to our way of life," he said. "My dad tried to reason with them after the Mason incident but they didn't want to hear, they killed another human after that security guard. We were forced to warn them that if they didn't stop there would be serious consequences. They're still around but they seem too afraid to act. They know they wouldn't stand a chance against us. Nothing will happen to anyone else."

I bit my lip, and looked around me. No one seemed to have noticed my little outburst. Thankfully Mike took that exact moment to hop on the table and pretend he was surfing.

I put my hand on my heart and willed it to slow down. "I'm sorry," I said.

"It's okay," he said. "I don't blame you for reacting the way you did. If I had been you, I would have done the same thing." His eyes stared down at the table and didn't meet mine.

I reached over and intertwined my fingers with his. "No, I shouldn't have acted like that. I should have faith in you." He still didn't meet my gaze.

"Anyway," I said. "My dad would probably pop a vein if he saw my car parked in it's spot but I was no where to be found."

"Why don't you just tell him?" Edward asked.

"I don't want to have that conversation with him yet," I said. I imagined my dad's face when I told him I was going to go to some unknown location with the introverted son of Forks most beloved doctor. "He'd probably be at your house with a shotgun."

Edward's head suddenly snapped up and he looked over to where his family sat. I turned back to them, reminded that just a couple of seconds ago I had accused them all of murder. "How good is their hearing?" I asked.

As if responding to my question, the small brunette girl, Alice, smiled at me. The blond, Rosalie, whispered something at her, and both Alice and Edward frowned. Alice waved a hand at Rosalie, and the latter threw Edward a dirty look. I shivered. Emmett put a hand on Rosalie and she snatched it away, stood up and walked out.

"Great," I said. "Now everyone hates me."

"Not everyone."

"Rosalie sure does," I told him.

"Don't worry about her," he said.

I shoved my tray away not hungry anymore. "So," I said trying to find a change of subject. "Did you have fun camping… or whatever it is you do?"

"We went hunting," he said. "Yes, we had fun."

"Where was it that you went again? Goat Rocks?"

"Yeah, they have an overpopulation of bears," he said grinning.

"Bears?" I asked.

"It's Emmett's favorite," he said.

"My favorite is pizza," I told him gesturing to my tray. "But bear is my second favorite."

Emmett laughed loud enough that it reached our table. I looked back at him. His boyish face was crinkled up with laughter. _He and I will get along just find,_ I thought.

"I'm sure he'll tell you why that is," he told me. He turned to me a smile on his lips. "Now I know something about you."

"What? That I like pizza?" I told him. "All you had to do was ask."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said.

"I'm sure you have a favorite," I said. "Are you going to tell me?"

"I'd rather not," he said.

"Oh, come on," I said. "I told you my embarrassing pizza addiction, it's only fair."

He pursed his lips. "Mountain lion."

"That sounds yummy," I teased.

He looked sharply at me. "I'm joking!"

I tried picturing it, Emmett wrestling a bear, and Edward atop a mountain lion. I sounded so comical. It made me think about one of those old warner bros. cartoons.

"I've got to go with you sometime," I told him.

His face froze in place. "I would never take you to see that." His eyes flashed golden and then dimmed.

"Okay..." I whispered. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. "Why is that?"

"I told you I can't be around you when I'm hungry," he said.

"But you never explained why," I told him.

"I'll tell you some other time," he said. "Come on were going to be late."

He got up, took our trays and dumped them in the garbage. I looked at the table where Edward's family sat. They were all gone.

Angela caught up with us, and walked to biology without taking her eyes off her book. I pulled Edward to me, and wrapped my arms around his waist. He looked down at me, and pulled me closer. "This conversation isn't over" I said, making a mental note not to forget.

_I'm trying to churn these out quickly, but it's becoming difficult. I'm the type of person that needs to check and double check that everything is perfect. Bad spelling and grammar is annoying to me. I don't want to subject others to it. If I've messed up, please let me know. Thank you for all your reviews, I appreciate it. Please keep them coming. This chapter was particularly difficult to write, there is too much pointless dialogue in the original and I had to siphon through it to get what I needed. I had no idea when I first started this project that I'd have to do so much research. I thought it would all be written down for me, I was sorely mistaken. I've had to watch the Twilight movie, read the books a couple of times, go to Twilight Lexicon and Google the heck out of everything from Vampire Legends to The names of Italian restaurants. (on aside: Ambrogio's is the italian word for immortal) It will probably be a little bit before I update again. Not too long though, I really enjoy writing this thing. :)_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Complications

Mr. Banner came in pulling a long metal shelf behind him, housing a small flat screen and a DVD player. The TV had a thick chain around its base and a padlock.

The whole class burst into noise, wondering what we were going to see.

Mr. Banner turned off the lights. Whatever hopes we had that this was going to be entertaining quickly faded as the screen was filled with the words "DNA Molecular Biology Visualization."

"Take notes," he said. "There _will_ be a quiz."

I heard several people groan, and then everyone pulled out their notebooks and pencils.

We spent the next hour and ten minutes taking notes on how DNA multiplies. My eyes were watering by the time the bell rang.

As soon as the lights were turned on, Mike walked over to my desk, "are you going to Gym today?" he asked eyeing Edward. With a cop for a dad, I didn't have the ability to make cutting class an every day thing.

"Yeah," I said. He leaned his hand on my desk.

"I'll see you later, Bella," Edward said putting his notebook in his book bag and walking slowly to the door. It was such a contrast to how our days usually went.

Mike looked at his back with a dark scowl on his face but said nothing.

When I finished putting my stuff away, I followed Mike out to Gym.

We went a little ways without talking, but I could tell Mike really wanted to say something. His eyes went to me and then away.

"What's wrong?" I asked unable to take anymore.

"You and Edward a couple?" he asked.

"I don't know what we are yet," I told him.

"I just didn't think you were into that sort of thing," he told me.

"What sort of thing?" I asked him.

"The 'I'm-a-jerk-but-you-have-to-put-up-with-it-cause-I-look-good,' thing."

I smiled. "I'm not."

"Doesn't look that way from here," he told me.

"He's not really a bad person if you got to know him," I told him. "He's pretty cool."

Mike scoffed. "Okay, if you say so."

Coach Clapp's new torture was soccer, which had her in a great mood. She bounced a ball in the air and looked at all of us with a smile on her face. "Ladies," she said. "And gentlemen," she added after a second. "Would you be so kind as to break up into two teams?" I cursed under my breath. A freckled faced girl named Megan looked at me with a look that suggested she would rather go skinny dipping in January than be on any team of mine.

To my huge relief Mike walked up to me, an easy smile on his face. But even Mike's presence by my side couldn't convince people to team with us.

Coach Clapp had to resort to threats if they didn't pick a side. In the end we were left with the worst of the worst players.

Mike didn't seem to care. But I had sweat running down the collar of my mustard yellow t-shirt. Some of the girls in the other team were looking at me like they were ready to skip soccer and go straight to dodge ball.

Couch Clapp made Mike our captain, and he took that role very seriously. First thing he did was reassure all of us that we could win this if we worked as a team. _Did he know who I was?_ Then he told us how to take advantage of the other teams weaknesses, and how to guard against our own. His blue eyes lingered on me. I was so tired of being the weakest link.

Mike was a natural born athlete. He easily maneuvered around everyone and sunk the ball in the goal twice. The other teams captain was furious. She saw how badly her team was losing and called one of her players over.

Mike looked at me knowing what they were planning to do. "Work as a team, Bella," he shouted at me from across the gym. I squared my shoulders, readying myself for whatever they were going to throw at me.

Three players ran towards me juggling the ball back and forth. I met them on the middle and we began to wrestle with our feet for control of the soccer ball. I felt a foot kick my calf and I winced in pain, my eyes watering. Gritting my teeth, I kicked the ball as hard as I could. It ricocheted to their side of the gym, where Mike was waiting for it. I ran after him, ignoring the throbbing of my injured leg. Everyone on the opposite team surrounded him, and completely ignored me.

But he saw how close I had gotten to their goal, and kicked the ball in my direction. Everything was slow motion as the ball glided easily across the waxed surface of the gym floor. I closed my eyes and reared my leg back, swinging it forward with everything I had in me. My foot connected with it and sent it in an arch towards their goalie, he jumped up to catch it. For that second that the ball was in the air I held my breath, and the whole gym went silent.

Cheers erupted as the soccer ball went through the goalie's hands and hit the fabric mesh with a soft thud.

Mike ran to me and scooped me up in a hug. "You did it!" He chanted twirling me around. The rest of our team had come in to congratulate me too. It was as if the game was over, and we had won. Couch Clapp had to blow her whistle several times to remind of the game was still going on. But even she looked happy for us. The other teams captain was fuming, she kept yelling at her players, her team kept throwing her dirty looks.

The remaining fifteen minutes of class period was devastating for our opposing team. Not only had I made a goal, but also the rest of my teammates seemed to have been inspired by my small victory and they too had started sinking hit after hit.

By the time the bell rang we were ahead 7 to 3. I felt like I was walking on cloud nine. In all the years of P.E. in California I had never helped win anything.

Mike and I walked out of gym exhilarated. He kept talking about how hard I'd hit the ball, and the look on my face as the ball hit the goal. I laughed as he demonstrated the agonized scream of the other team's captain.

"Where did you park?" he asked me, turning his head from side to side looking for my truck.

"I got a ride today," I told him.

He frowned when he realized who had given me the ride. "Alright then," he said, all the cheeriness of before forgotten. "I'll see you Monday."

"Mike," I said. He had become a really good friend, one of my best. I didn't want him to hurt.

"It's okay," he told me, hugging me hard. "Above everything else you're my friend."

"Thanks," I said. No words were needed between Mike and me. We understood each other.

"Call me tonight," he told me. "I'll give you the homework for English class."

He walked off towards his car, and I headed to where Edward had parked. Edward was seated on the trunk of his Volvo, my jacket on his lap, patiently waiting for me.

"Congratulations," he said when I was in front of him.

"I'm guessing you heard that," I said with a smile.

"I couldn't help it," he said. "It was very loud."

"My jacket?" I asked pointing at it with my index finger. He jumped off the hood.

"Jessica said she forgot to give it to you this morning," he said handing it to me. "Apparently it was crowding her locker."

I rolled my eyes, and took the jacket from his outstretched hand.

I noticed the empty spot next to the Volvo. Rosalie's red convertible was gone.

When we pulled out of the parking lot, I remembered my mental note. I looked over to him, debating whether or not I should bring it up. It hadn't gone too well at lunch. _Did I want to push his buttons?_ I bit my tongue trying to hold back the urge that nagged at me. _Then again if we couldn't have an honest relationship what was the point?_

Can I ask you a question without you getting mad?" I asked.

He gave me a quick look before answering. "Fine."

"Promise," I said.

"Bella," he warned.

"Alright," I said. "Why did you get so upset when I asked you to take me hunting?"

He frowned. "You said you wouldn't get angry." His shoulders lifted, and then slumped.

"I don't want to talk about that," he told me.

"I'm curious," I said. "It can't be that bad."

"You're not going to drop it, are you?" he said.

"No."

"We aren't ourselves that's all. We literally lose control. It would be like dumping you in the middle of a den of starving tigers."

He pulled into my driveway and parked behind my truck. "I didn't mean to scare you," he said.

"I wouldn't want that," I said, shaking my head.

"I didn't think you would," he said with a smile.

He leaned toward me slowly. "Right, tigers, meal, don't want that," I said unable to put a sentence together. Despite the fact that I wanted to keep my eyes opened they stubbornly fluttered close. I felt his breath on my lips, and waited expectantly for his lips to touch my own.

But the kiss never came. I opened my eyes again to see that he had stopped halfway towards me and was now leaning his head to the side.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"There's someone coming," he said. "It's your friend, Jacob Black, and his father."

"That's right," I said remembering. "Tonight that big game, Redskins vs. … something." My dad had invited them over.

"I don't think I should be here," he told me.

"Why? It doesn't matter," I said.

"It's complicated," he told me turning on his engine. That was my cue to get out.

"Hey," he said. I turned, my hand on the door handle. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I have a lot of questions for you."

_Great_, I thought. He smiled at the look on my face.

Just then a tan Chevrolet made it's way around the corner. Edward watched it as it came closer. I quickly took my jacket, hopped out of the car and slammed the door behind me.

As soon as I was far enough away he backed up, and pulled out, speeding down the street.

I looked over at the Chevrolet, so like my own, except it wasn't falling apart at the seams, and a hundred years old. I expected Billy in the drivers seat and was surprised to see Jacob there instead.

It had been so long since I'd seen Mr. Black. I wasn't even sure what he looked like anymore. My dad had been so busy with at work he hadn't been to visit.

I watched as Jacob got out, waved at me, and then headed to the truck bed. Seconds later he came back carrying a wheelchair. It didn't dawn on me what the wheelchair was for until Billy pushed his door open and swung over to it. I stared wide-eyed as he wheeled himself towards me, Jacob by his side.

"Hey, Bella," he said. He sounded friendly but his weathered face was very serious and his deep brown eyes stared at me suspiciously.

"Hello, Mr. Black," I said, trying to compose myself. "How have you been?" I asked, instantly regretting it. _Duh, Bella, he's in a wheelchair! How do you think he is? _I thought.

"I'm just fine. Just fine," he said. "Who was that I saw leaving?" he asked me.

"A friend," I said. "He gave me a ride home."

"Oh," he said with a weird expression on his face. "Did the truck break down?"

"No," I said. "The trucks just fine." I didn't like the way he looked at me. Like I was doing something I wasn't suppose to.

"What's up, Bella," Jacob said from beside his dad. He had a wide grin that showcased his brilliantly white teeth. "Here, this is from Harry Clearwater. Your dad loves the stuff."

"Oh," I said taking the container from him. I looked down at the chunks of greasy fish. "Thanks."

Billy was still staring at me, but Jacob didn't notice.

"You guys must be cold," I said. "I'll open the door, so you can come inside."

I headed for my house. It made me uncomfortable to be under Billy Blacks scrutiny.

Jacob walked next to me, sniffing the air. He puckered his face in disgust, and clamped his nose with his hand. "What's that smell?" he asked me with a nasally voice.

"I don't know," I said. I sniffed too, but didn't get anything. "You're imaging things," I said unlocking the door and stepping aside so that Billy could wheel himself in.

"Yeah, right," he told me. "It smells like someone melted down a candy corn factory."

Jacob helped his dad onto the couch, and I offered them something to drink.

"Can I have a Coke?" Jacob said.

"I'll take water," Billy told me.

I walked to the kitchen, put the fish fry container in the fridge and then filled a glass with Coke and one with water from the tap.

When I returned to the living room the Television was on and whatever game Billy and my dad were going to see had already started. Jacob took the glasses from me and handed the water to his dad.

Not wanting to be rude, I sat down in my dad's recliner, pretending to watch the game. All the while I felt Billy Blacks dark eyes on me, and it was starting to creep me out.

"My dad should be home soon," I said. "I don't know what's taking him so long."

"It's okay," Billy said. "I'm sure he's pretty busy with these murderers running around."

"I thought it was just an animal," I said to him, not knowing how much my dad confided with Billy, and wondering if he was trying to get something out of me.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Yeah, of course. It's just an animal."

Thankfully my dad burst through the door at that exact moment, looking tired but happy. He came into the living room, kissing the top of my head, and not taking his eyes off the screen. "Who's winning?" he asked Jacob.

"So far, no one," Jacob said.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he told the room, while he took off his police jacket. "The strangest thing happened at the precinct today."

"What?" I asked. Everyone grew quiet, as if someone had pressed the mute button on us. We were all wondering if what he was talking about had something to do with his cold case.

"A group of men walked in and told us to take them into custody. They actually begged us to put them in prison. They said they attacked a girl in Port Angeles last weekend. We ran their prints and found multiple accounts of sexual abuse, and drug possession. They were the same ones that held up a convenience store in Neilton. Remember, it was all over the news," he said turning to Billy Black. "Never found the guys, until now."

"That's freaking weird," Jacob said.

"That's not the weird part," my dad told him continuing. "They kept babbling about a monster, one of them even claimed that this thing broke his arm. None of them could tell what this monster looked like though… no, it wasn't so much that they couldn't, it was that they were too scared to."

"Anyway, they thank us when we booked them," he laughed.

My body had gone cold. I could actually feel my blood freezing in my veins. My hands had started shaking, and my stomach was turning over.

"Dad, do you want me to get you a beer?" I managed to say, I needed an excuse to leave the living room. My dad turned to me. At the look on my face he jumped off the couch and grabbed my hand. I wondered how bad I looked. "Are you okay?" He checked my pulse.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I told him. "I'm just going to go to the kitchen, get a glass of water."

My dad followed close behind as I wobbled on shaky legs to the kitchen sink. I picked a glass from the dish drainer and filled it with the water.

_Had I heard my dad right?_ I wondered. _Did those guys give themselves up?_ A laugh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside me. I was so happy I couldn't contain myself. My laughter made my dad worry. He pulled me away from the sink, where I had doubled over laughing, and sat me down on a chair.

I looked at his face and that made me laugh harder. I wouldn't have to tell him about Port Angeles, he'd never have to know. Tears leaked down my cheeks, I was actually gasping for air.

"Bella," my dad said shaking my shoulders.

"I'm fine, dad," I told him when I was able to breathe again. I wiped the tears tracks under my eyes with my thumb.

He put the glass of water to my lips and urged me to drink. I took a big gulp, to make him feel better.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Nothing," I told him. "I'm just really happy."

He stayed with me for a little bit, making me drink the water every so often, until he was sure I was back to normal.

Jacob walked in to the kitchen, looking nervous. "My dad said we could come back some other time, if you aren't up for company."

My dad looked at me. He had so little time to just enjoy himself, and here I was ruining his fun.

"Dad, I'm fine," I told him. "Go and watched the game, enjoy yourself. GO… whomever you're rooting for!" I cheered.

He looked at Jacob, "do you mind staying with her for a bit," he told him.

"Dad," I said. I didn't need a babysitter, especially one that was younger than me.

"Nah, it's okay," Jacob said. He took the seat my dad had occupied just a second ago.

With one last look to me, my dad walked into the living room, "what's happening Billy," I heard him say.

I looked up at Jacob. "I think you're enjoying this."

"Yeah," he told me with a smile. I kicked his big booted foot with my tiny one.

"So," I said. "What's happening with you?"

"Nothing much," he said. "Carting the old man around, mostly."

"How about your car?" I asked. "Find the watchamacallit?"

"Master Cylinder," he said.

"Yeah, that thing," I laughed.

"No," he said sullen. "Still looking."

"Don't give up," I said. "I'm sure you'll find it, and finish your awesome car."

"Yeah," he said. "But my car is nothing compared to the one I saw pull out of here earlier."

"Yeah, he's a car nut too. I'll introduce you guys next time he's here," I said.

"Who is he," Jacob asked me.

"Edward Cullen, the son of Dr. Cullen," I told him.

"Better not," Jacob told me. "My dad wouldn't be too happy. He's one of those people who think the Cullen's are evil, or something."

"There not," I said, a little more harshly than I intended.

"He's just stuck in the past," he said.

From the living room we could here my dad and Billy screams of delight, and the cheers of thousands of fans. Jacob perked his ear trying to hear the announcer.

"Come on," I told him, pulling him by his shirt and dragging him to the living room, where he sank into the couch.

"How are you feeling, honey?" my dad asked.

"I'm alright," I told him.

I leaned on the back of my dad's recliner, and put my head on my elbows. I was waiting until they were distracted enough that I could sneak away without them noticing.

After a couple minutes, I headed for the stairs. No one stopped me. When I got to my room, I picked up my cell, and dialed Mike's number.

"Hey, Bella," he said. He sounded sleepy and I wondered if I had woken him up.

"Hey," I said. "You have the homework for me?"

"Yep," he said. "It's worksheet 25 and 26. Enjoy, I just finished mine."

"Thanks," I said. "Did I wake you?"

"No," he said. "I just hate English. Bored out of my mind!"

"I don't get it," I said. "It's my best subject."

"For bookworms like you, yeah," he teased. "Hey, are you still going to Seattle tomorrow?"

"That was the plan," I said.

"Damn it," he said. "Now who am I going to trick into writing my paper for me?" he joked.

"Good luck," I said.

"Have fun," he told me before hanging up.

I stayed in my room finishing up my English homework until the game ended.

My dad called me down to say goodbye to Billy and Jacob.

"See you, Mr. Black," I said.

He looked at me with that speculative gaze, and I couldn't help frowning. "Be careful, Bella," he whispered.

Jacob cut his father off by giving me a hug. "You've got to come and visit," he said.

"I will soon," I told him. _Likely when Billy wasn't around, _I thought.

My dad closed the door behind them and I sagged into the couch. "Had fun?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I needed that." He rubbed his neck with the palm of his hand. "Have you eaten?" he asked.

"No," I said.

"That's probably why you didn't feel good," he said. "Have some of the fish fry in the fridge."

I scrunched up my face, repulsed. "I'm good."

He pulled me off the couch, and pushed me into the kitchen, sat me on a chair and put a plate of Harry's fish in front of me.

I sat at the table picking at the greasy fish in my plate with my fork,

"Eat it, stop playing with it," he told me.

I put it in my mouth and chewed, waiting for the nasty taste of fish to hit my tongue, but it wasn't bad. He sat next to me, his own plate of fish in his hand.

"How was your day?" he asked me.

"My team won a match in gym class today," I told him. "I actually made a goal."

"Did you knock out the goalie?" he asked.

"Ha-ha," I said, my temper rising. "You're so funny."

"I'm just joking," he said. "I'm glad."

"Yeah, it was all thanks to Mike," I said. "He was our captain, and he was great."

My dad looked at me. "Mike Newton?" he asked. "You like the Newton kid?"

"Dad, he's just a friend," I said.

"I'm just wondering if I should have "the talk" with you," he said.

"Oh, please, no," I begged, popping the last hunk of fish in my mouth.

He picked up my plate, and put it in the sink. "You said you were going to Seattle tomorrow," he said.

My hands got sweaty. I didn't like to sneak around.

"I think I'm going to cancel the trip," I told him. "Maybe I'll hang out with one of my friends."

"Good, I was hoping you wouldn't go," he told me. "Anyway, I have to go into work tomorrow. There a lot that needs to be done with these cases I'm working."

"That's okay dad," I said relieved. "I'll be fine."

"I leave you alone too much," he said. "We'll spend sometime together soon, alright?"

"Don't worry," I told him. "I'm tough, just like my dad."

He smiled, and turned back to the dishes.

"Hey, dad, I didn't know Billy Black was in a wheel chair," I said. His back stiffened.

"Yeah," he told me, not turning around. "Happened a little while ago. Remembered I told you that Billy's wife died of cancer a couple of years ago."

"Yeah," I said.

"Billy wasn't doing so good," he told me. "He started to… drink, and had an accident."

"Oh," I said. How horrible for my dad to be going to the scene of that accident, just to find out that it was his best friend, no wonder he didn't want to talk about it.

"It wasn't my place to say anything," he told me.

I nodded even though he couldn't see me.

I took a shower, brush my teeth and went to bed early. But the whole time I tossed and turned and couldn't get to sleep. When I did manage it, I drifted into a dream.

I was underwater, Edward's hand encircled me, and his lips parted mine in a kiss. Our hair floated around us, and I stared into his eyes.

I smiled and cuddled deeper into my pillow, not wanting the dream to end. I couldn't wait for tomorrow.

_I really like the way this chapter turned out, considering that I had to restructure the whole thing. I wasn't going to spend a whole chapter talking about how Bella wanted to jump Edward but restrained herself and vice versa. I had to make Bella win something, just once. She was getting so depressing with the whining about hating gym. I love Mike. I'm going to make his ending happy. He deserves more than having Jessica for a girlfriend. I decided to give Billy a back-story. He needed one. There will be more to it later on. As always than you so much for your reviews and keep them coming._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Balancing

I woke up in the best mood. I whistled "Beautiful day" by U2 while I walked downstairs and sang it full out, completely off-key, in the shower as I lathered my hair.

"You're killing baby birds," my dad yelled, banging hard on the bathroom door. "I can hear them exploding from here." I stuck my tongue out at him as I ran upstairs in my long woolly bathrobe.

When I got upstairs I immediate started tearing up my closet, looking for something to wear, tossing things that didn't work over my shoulder. By the end I had made a huge pile on my bed of discarded clothes and was left with pale yellow sundress or short denim skirt.

I pulled out the skirt, staring at it critically. _Did this look like I was trying too hard?_ I asked myself. I held it against my body.

Inspiration dawned. I ran to my dresser and dug through it carelessly, I hoped I hadn't gotten rid of it, because it would be so perfect. At the bottom of my mess of clothes was the t-shirt I wanted. It was a black fitted tee with the words, "I can't wait to procrastinate," across the chest. I slid the dress back in the closet, where it would probably stay forever, picked the pile of clothes from the bed and threw them on the floor. "Okay, I'm a slob," I said to myself looking down at the mess.

I shrugged, deciding not to worry about it too much. I dug back in my dresser for a pair of leggings to put under my skirt since it was still a bit chilly outside. When I had finished dressing I looked at myself in the mirror. Brushing my long hair into a ponytail, I stood back and smiled at my reflection, pleased. I looked cute, but without making me seem desperate, and I had to admit to myself that something in Forks had given me my glow back tenfold, or maybe it hadn't been missing at all, but I just thought it was.

I slipped on my converse low top sneakers. They were old and comfortable, and since I didn't know where we were going I figured I should at least be comfortable.

My dad was in his uniform by the time I made it downstairs. He looked at me curiously, when he saw me. "You look nice," he said.

"This old thing," I said with a laugh. This, in hindsight was probably not the right thing to say to make him less suspicious. "I just had it laying around."

"I'm sure," he said with narrowed eyes. "Where did you say you were going today?"

Those were the words I didn't want him to ask_. I didn't exactly lie to him about hanging out with a "friend",_ I argued with myself. _But I purposely omitted who the friend was. Isn't that the same as lying?_

"I don't know," I said not meeting his gaze. "I'll probably just stay home." I reached for the remote and turned on the television as if to prove that I was only interested in veging out on the couch. I even draped his little blanket over my legs.

He looked a little calmer. "Leave me a note, if you decide to go somewhere, alright?" he said.

I nodded. My leg shook while I waited impatiently for my dad to get ready and leave. _The Colbert Report_ was on _Comedy Central_, but I wasn't concentrating on anything that was being said. My dad grabbed his holster and started buckling it on slowly. It was driving me crazy.

"Alright," he said. "I'm off. I'll see you later." I tried not to look too happy. He walked over to me and kissed the top of my head.

"See ya, dad," I said.

When he closed the door, I jumped off the couch. The blanket, and the remote I had on my lap falling to the floor. I refolded the blanket, picked up the remote and turned off the TV.

Irrationally I tiptoed towards the door, as if making noise would sound some invisible alarm and bring my dad sprinting back. With my ear pressed against the frame, I struggled to hear the engine of his patrol car.

As soon as I was sure that he was gone, I walked to the note pad by the phone scribbled a quick note, then ran up the stairs picked up my tote bag and ran back down. I grabbed the doorknob, pulled the door open and smacked myself right into Edward. My body shook a little from the impact and I almost fell backwards, thankfully he grabbed me before I crumbled and held me tight against him.

"Why are you always doing that?" I asked. My teeth still shook a little.

"I wasn't expecting you to fly out the door," he said in his defense.

"Well at least you're punctual," I said. I was mildly aware of his strong arms encircling my body. He noticed it too, and I could tell that it affected him as much as it did me. His eyes narrowed and grew hot. He stared down at my face. After a minute though, he cleared his throat and let me go, slowly.

A pained look briefly crossed his face. Again I got the irksome feeling that he wanted to run, put as much distant between us as he possibly could.

"Well," I said. "Where are we going?"

"Nope," he said looking at me. "I'm not saying."

I locked the door, and turned to him. "Well how am I supposed to drive us there?"

"I'll give you _step-by-step_ instructions," he said, deliberately slowing down at the step-by-step part, knowing it was going to irritate me. "Unless you let me drive," he said eyeing my truck.

"Ha, not a chance," I said. I pinched his navy sweater and pulled him towards my truck.

I jumped in the driver's side, and he reluctantly sat in the passenger's seat.

"Nice shirt," he said looking at my top. I shifted self-consciously in the seat.

"Thanks," I said, secretly overjoyed he noticed.

"The skirt probably won't be very practical for where we're going, though," he said matter of fact.

"Well if you would have told me what we were doing I would have dressed appropriately," I said a little put out.

"And miss you wearing _that_," he said. "No thanks." My face grew hot, and I felt his eyes on me again, but I refused to be goaded by him. I was distracted as it was. I didn't want to lose the little concentration I had and cause an accident.

I eased my truck out of the driveway. Under his scrutiny I was shaky and kept over thinking everything. I was far too aware that Edward was right there, sitting across from me, looking delectable in his blue jeans and navy sweater.

"Turn right, here," he said.

I jerked the wheel faster than I intended and my truck whined in protest. He stifled a laugh, and when I turned to glare at him he said, "Better watch the road."

That was enough to bring my blood to a boil. I concentrated the whole time on either the road or his instructions, too mad to let my mind stray towards anything else.

We were cruising down the highway now, as fast as my truck would let us go. He tapped his knee impatiently. "Can't this pile of iron go any faster?"

"Hey!" I said. "Don't talk about her that way." I tapped my dash lovingly.

"Oh, right, I don't want to hurt her _feelings_," he teased.

"She's a very sensitive girl," I said, and as if on cue my truck groan slightly. Edward shook his head slowly.

"Don't think I've forgotten, I have some questions for you." I blanched. He shifted towards me on the seat. "Firstly, I'm curious, where did _she _come from?" I thought it was a pretty random question, but it seemed innocent enough. If all his questions were going to be like this I wasn't going to complain.

"Oh," I said. "She was a gift from my dad. He got her from Billy Black, his son Jacob worked on the engine." Edward nodded as if he already knew I was going to say that.

"Jacob Black, huh," he said.

"Yep," I said. "He's a big car nut. He's currently looking for a master… cylinminder… cycler...?"

"Cylinder?" he asked.

"Yes," I said trying not to laugh. "He needs it to finish his car." _Why do I keep forgetting that? _ I thought.

"You know a lot about Jacob Black," he said. "How long have you known him?"

"Well, I used to be paired up with his sisters when I came to visit," I said. "He hung around our heels, so you could say we know each other since we were kids."

His eyes darkened and his mouth turned down in a frown. "But I hardly remember that." Truthfully I hardly remember his sisters at all. They didn't really like me that much. I was too shy and I hated Forks at the time so I guess that didn't help our friendship develop.

Speaking of Jacob and his family got me thinking about the night before and Edward's reaction to them. "What was that about last night?" I asked.

"Oh no," he said. "It's my turn to ask the questions." I huff but let him continue.

"So technically speaking, you met Jacob Black now, when you moved here," he said, it wasn't a question, more like confirmation.

"Um, yeah," I said. I didn't understand Edward's obsession with the Black family. There was something that just didn't add up.

"Okay," he said with a small shake of his head. I wanted to ask why he was so curious, but I knew that he would probably tell me it was still his turn.

"Tell me about your childhood," he said. "Where were you born?"

What could he possibly want to know about that? It wasn't very interesting. I was about to argue the point, but when I turned to him I caught him eyeing my skirt, and I almost ran us off the road. It was safer if we stuck to a boring topic, and boy was my life boring.

"I… alright…" I said trying to clear my head. He shifted on his seat, but I was too afraid of what would happen if I looked at him. "Umm, I was born in Arizona, actually. In a town called Pima, in Graham County." There was a tightness in my voice that I'm sure Edward could notice.

"You don't have to tell me. Forget that I asked." he said.

"No," I said. "I haven't really talked about this to anyone. Maybe it would be good to get it out in the open once and for all." The bitterness of the ordeal my mom went through was eating me alive. I hadn't notice just how much until right this second. I had kept it inside for so long that I'd simply ignored it. But ignoring had only made it worse, like putting a band-aid on a festering wound. I wasn't addressing the real problem.

"My mom…" I began. "She was just sixteen when she found out she was pregnant, and she was terrified." I gulped the lump that rose in my throat. "Her parents were trying to force her to marry my dad, but she wasn't ready. When she told them that they said she had to…" I blinked back the tears that threatened to blur my vision.

"So she left," Edward said. I could tell he was trying ease me by letting me skip the painful parts.

"Yeah," I told him, my hands tightening around the steering wheel. "She didn't have anything, Edward. Just the clothes on her back and me."

"What about your dad?" he asked.

"My mom didn't tell my dad that she was pregnant until she was far away from Forks," I said sadly. It had been one of the things I most resented. I'm sure my dad would have helped her if she had told him, even if she didn't want to be with him. Then I realize how little I knew about my dad when he was younger. How had he been as a teenager? Again I wondered what brought my parents together to begin with.

"Don't get mad at me okay," Edward said eyeing me. "But it seems you and your mom have that in common. Running away from your problems instead of facing them head on."

I knew he was talking about Phil, and even thought I wanted to be angry, I wasn't. He was right, I did runaway, and I didn't know why I did it anymore. Was it really for my mom? Or was that an excuse I had used to explain away the pain I felt at her marrying him? Would she have taken his side if I had told her what he did? I didn't want to even think about my mom acting that way, but sometimes she could be so blind.

"What are some of your hobbies?" Edward asked. I could tell he was trying to lighten the mood.

I smiled. "Umm, I read, a lot," I said. "I'm actually pretty maniacal when it comes to books."

He pointed to an exit and I took it.

"How so?"

"I never get tired of reading. If I finish a book I have to start another right away," I said. "It's pretty pathetic."

"Why is that pathetic, I think it's endearing," he smiled. He looked at me with hooded eyes, and I clutched the steering wheel harder, afraid that if I let go I would jump him.

The clouds had started to break now, and the sunlight was filtering down from the sky. The houses had dwindled to nothing, and now it was only forest on either side of the road.

"Where the heck is this place?" I asked.

"It's a place I usually reserve for sunny days," he told me.

"Sun," I said through a gasp. "You're going to show me…"

His jaw clenched, and he nodded.

"But what about your family, do they know what you're going to do?" Rosalie especially since she looked to be the one who loathed me the most.

"They all know," he said without meeting my eyes. He pretended to look out the window, but I could tell his mind was somewhere far away when he answered. "I don't keep things from my family. I figure it's only fair since they can't hide things from me." He chuckled dryly.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this," I said slowing down.

"It's my decision, they can't do anything. Some of them are actually excited, and some of them have running bets," he said.

"Bets?" I asked.

He looked at me, uncomfortable. "Uh, I shouldn't have said that."

I was Curious to know what he meant but something told me that I didn't want to know.

We continued on in silence, until the road ended. A big metal barrier was visible up ahead, preventing the truck from going further. Thank goodness too, because at the other side of the barrier was a cliff.

I pulled up to the side of the road and looked at Edward for instructions. "Now what?"

"Now we walk," he told me with a smile.

My normally pale face was leeched of its remaining color at those words. "What did you just say?" I couldn't have heard right. "It's so funny because for a second there I thought you said walk…" I have a skirt on, and a problem with rocks, as I came to realize in what I've begun to refer as "The La Push Incident." Edward had already opened the door and was getting out of the car. I unbuckled my seatbelt and followed him.

He started for the woods, and I stared at him in confusion. "Are you coming?" he said turning around and looking at me.

"No!" I told him stomping my foot. He furrowed his brow and sighed.

"You should have told me that we were going hiking." I wouldn't have worn the stupid skirt. I probably wouldn't have come either.

"Alright," I heard him say walking back to me. "What if I carry you on my back."

I kicked the grass with my converse shoe. "Carry me," I said softly, amused.

"Yeah," he said raising his eyebrow. "You won't need to walk then."

The thought of me on Edward's back was tempting. But I didn't want to crush him either. "No I'm okay…" I bit my lip in embarrassment.

"Bella," he said me rolling his eyes. "Just come on."

I bit back a smile, and nodded. "Okay."

He pulled off his sweater, and I caught a glimpse of his hard stomach when the gray t-shirt underneath rode up. He tied the sweater on his waist, then turned to me arms extended. I hurried to him and jumped on his back, he wrapped both arms under my thighs, and I curled mine around his neck. A tingle ran down my body as I laid my head on his shoulders.

"You better close your eyes," he warned. He started running, his footfalls soft but steady. My weight didn't seem to bother him at all. I have to admit I wasn't very used to the whole vampire strength/speed thing yet. Yes, I'd witnessed it on a number of occasions, but most of them I had been under some type of mortal peril. When my head was clear and I wasn't in any immediate danger, I couldn't seem to grasp the idea.

"Are your eyes shut?" he asked. I quickly shut my eyes, and nodded. I heard the footfalls grow even softer, but then it felt like I was riding on the wing of a jet plane. My hair whipped back, and my eyes watered. With some effort I managed to open one eye and half blink with the other. I caught flashes of green, which I assumed to be trees and the ground was a long blur of brown and occasionally a green smudge. I refused to open my mouth, but inside I was screaming. He felt my arm tighten around his shoulders and turned his head slightly to look at me.

"Watch where were going!" I shouted in panic. I was sure at the speed we were going we wouldn't survive an impact with a tree. His shoulders vibrated with laughter. "I told you to close your eyes." My stomach was beginning to do flips, and I could feel the bile rising up my throat.

"Tell me something about you," he said loudly. "To pass the time."

"I don't… want…" I cried, too scared to even make a sentence. I knew that if I opened my mouth again, I'd toss my cookies.

"Come on," he encouraged. "Tell me something about your birthdays, a particular teacher you disliked in grade school, any pets?"

I closed my eyes again, trying to visualize some of the things he said. "My birthdays… they… they weren't great. I didn't have a lot of friends, so it ended… up being my mom and me." I choked out the words, but I could tell I was calmer. _Just don't open your eyes,_ I told myself.

"And grade school?" he asked.

"I really hated this one teacher, Mrs. Pennack." I said. I remembered the hawkish features of the most horrible teacher I ever had. "She always sent me to the board, even when I didn't raise my hand. It was like a daily torture." I got a lot of things thrown at me, and she wouldn't even stop them. The nausea was subsiding now, and I breathed deeply.

"Any pets?" He asked again. He could tell that keeping my mind occupied had helped a lot. My breathing was steady now.

"I've never been good with them," I admitted. "My mom kept an aquarium filled with fish for me in our little apartment. I always forgot to feed them, and then felt guilty and ended up over feeding them the next day. They were belly up in a week."

"A fish murderer," he said, again his shoulders rocked with laughter.

"Hey, like I told my mom, at least they died happy."

He started to slow down, and I hazard another a look around me. The trees were beginning to break up ahead, and I could just make out a long stretch of grass. Shafts of sunlight were coming down through the breaks in the trees. I notice that Edward avoided them at all cost.

He carefully let me go. Holding me steady as I tried to regain my equilibrium.

I walked quickly now, trying to leave the woods behind me. I wanted to be out in the open. I pushed a thick branch out of my way and was stunned at the sight that met my eyes.

Flowers spread as far as the eye could see, all wild, beautiful and swaying with the slight breeze. Patches of tall grass sprinkled around the edges. It was a meadow, vibrant and alive. I could almost pretend that Forks didn't exist. This meadow was magical. It just didn't seem possible it shared the same world with the dreariness of Forks, Washington.

I turn, expecting to see Edward right behind me, and was confused to see that he was still in the woods. He leaned his back on a tree, staring at me stoically. That's when I remembered the real reason we had come here. I stared at him, both expectant and anxious.

He stared at me for a few seconds more, before he pushed himself away from the trees, took a deep breath and stepped into the light.

_I'm so sorry this chapter took so long. I have ADHD, and when I run out of medicine I can't concentrate on anything. It's horrible and truly frustrating. My writer's block was so bad. I don't think I did this chapter justice, oh well it's out now. Hope you enjoy _

PS. Something weird happened to this chapter when I uploaded it… I reloaded it, and hope it's okay.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Confessions

Shock was the only word to describe how I was feeling now. There had been so many things going through my head on what would happen when Edward stepped out into the meadow. Deep inside I was still convinced he would burst into flame, which made me a bit nervous as he took that tentative first step. I reasoned that he wouldn't be doing this if he thought it was going to hurt in anyway. It was the only thought that stopped me from running to him, the only thing that kept me planted as his body was bathed in sunlight.

I didn't expect this, though. He stood in front of me, staring down into my eyes. His body glistened and shined. His bare skin literally sparkled.

I held my hand out but didn't touch him. I wanted to ask him how it could be possible for his skin to do this, but my mouth wouldn't form words.

"Now you know," he said, breaking the silence.

I let out a shaky laugh. I couldn't help it. This just couldn't be real. "You can't be real."

He scoffed, giving me a sad look. "I thought you'd be half way to your truck by now."

"Stop underestimating me," I said. I hated how he perceived me. I wasn't a frightened little girl. "Is that why you wanted to show me this, because you thought it would scare me away?"

A breeze ruffled my hair around my face, and the clouds moved over blocking the sun. Just like that Edward was back to normal.

He moved away from me. "A part of me wanted you to run, yes," he said honestly. "Another part of me just wanted to be able to show you… to let you see the real me."

I sat next to him, drawing my knees up and resting my chin on them. He looked forlorn, and suddenly all I wanted was to comfort him. He stared at the ground plucking blades of grass absently. Slowly I put my finger on his cheek and stroke the smooth surface. It was the first time I had done so.

He sighed and leaned into me. I caressed his cheek with my hand, and he closed his eyes. "Thank you," he breathed. "I was afraid you'd leave. It would have broken my heart."

I remembered the many times I thought he would disappear. I knew how he felt. I was still afraid he'd vanish. A world without Edward would be pointless. I see now that I could never survive without him, it scared me to realize how much I loved him. He had become so important. So ingrained into my heart, if he left he'd leave me broken. "I couldn't leave if I wanted to."

He smiled, his golden eyes staring deeply into mine. "I've hid for so long," he said softly. "But it's never bothered me. Not once did I crave human company. Until you."

A quick chuckle escaped my lips, and his eyes narrowed warily. "I'm not laughing at you," I said feeling the need to explain. "It's just that you and I are a lot alike."

"How so," he said still staring at me through narrowed eyes.

"Well, I've always been alone. I took care of my mother, because she needed me. That didn't leave much room for a social life, you know. But it never bothered me. I didn't care that people ignored me. Sometimes I actually preferred it that way." He pursed his lips like he wanted to say something, but remained quiet. "But when I met you, I didn't want to be alone anymore."

He reached over and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "For what it's worth I don't want you to be alone anymore either."

Our faces were close now, mere inches away. I could see every curve of his face, the intense golden color of his eyes. We both looked up as the clouds parted once more, and his skin came alive with small prisms of light. How could this creature be here with me? Any second I was going to blink and he would disappear.

"I'm so afraid," I confessed.

He stiffened, and pulled away, misunderstanding. I tried to explain quickly, "I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of losing you."

Edward looked up at my words. He cupped my face in his hands gently, "you'll never lose me."

My eyes filled with tears. I wish I could believe that. "Then why do you get that look sometimes, like you're about run far away?"

"You wouldn't understand," he told me dropping his hands from my face. That hurt me. Because he hadn't denied it. I hadn't imagined that expression on his face. Anything would have been better than him telling me this. He could have told me I was being paranoid, or ridiculous. I need him to deny my accusation, to prove me wrong. But he hadn't, and that left me thinking I was the reason he felt that way.

I stared at him incredulous, because the hurt had led the way for anger. "I wouldn't understand!" I rose. "Why do you assume I wouldn't understand? You think you know it all, Edward. How about you have some faith in me? Try me?" I turned my back to him, not giving him the pleasure of seeing the tears that cascaded down my cheeks.

All of a sudden I felt Edwards arms wrap around my waist. He pulled me into him and whispered softly in my ear. " Bella, I never want to be the reason for your tears."

I clenched my teeth together, suppressing the sob that was threatening to break through.

"I've got to make you understand," he said. "I wish I could explain it better."

I reached over to stroke his neck, but found that I was alone again. His touch still lingered on my skin, but he now stood over by the trunk of a tree.

"I wish I could be what you need. But I'm not," he said. I noted the disgust and self-loathing that crept into his voice.

"Let me put it in a way you understand. You're the fly… and I'm the Venus fly trap."

I knew he was trying to tell me that I was his natural food source. That he wasn't right for me, that we weren't the same. But the mental picture that came to my mind at his words were as far from the plant metaphor as you could get. For some weird reason I thought of the flames at the La Push campfire. But it all finally made sense. "Like the blue flames," I whispered to myself.

"The blue flames?" Edward asked confused.

I smiled ruefully. "When I was in La Push, Mike showed me how to make a driftwood fire. The flames were blue, and I remembered being captivated by the beauty. I wanted so much to reach in and touch them, all the while knowing I'd get burned." I looked up then. "The fire drew me in." I walked over to Edward and put my hands around him. "I wasn't oblivious to how dangerous fire could be, but I wanted to touch it anyway, not caring." I lifted my eyes to his face. "You're _my_ blue flames."

"It's not the same thing, Bella," he said, unwrapping himself from my embrace.

"Probably not," I told him. "But the only thing I know is that I want to be with you. Only you, despite what you are. I know it may sounds stupid to you, but it's how I feel."

"I wish I had the strength to leave and never come back," he said. "I should leave, it would be better for you if I disappeared."

"I don't want you to leave," I said. There was a lump in my throat as I tried to swallow. He continued to hurt me. Didn't he realize what going away would do to me? That wasn't even an option anymore. The hurt was making me irrational. I wanted to hurt him back. "You should have stayed gone when you left the first time! Then I wouldn't have fallen in _love_ with you!" I clamped my hand over my mouth at the words that had come out.

"You love me?" he stared at me open mouth.

I turned around, shielding myself from his eyes. My sudden outburst made me embarrassed and angry. Both emotions surge through me like a wave. Now he would leave for sure. Vampire or not he was a man, and the word love seemed to be taboo with the male gender for some unknown reason.

"Please don't love me," he said agonized. I turned around to see he had knelt on the ground clutching his neck with both hands.

"Why?" I asked. I stepped to him, but in the blink of an eye he was gone. My eyes turn every which way trying to spot where he had vanished.

"All I've wanted since the first day I met you has been to kill you," he said. The pain was evident in his voice. And that small fact wounded me. The problem is I couldn't comfort him now. I didn't know how, and that knowledge made the pain unbearable for me. "Kill me?" I asked confused.

"I've never in all my time as a vampire smelled someone more appetizing," he said. "It's driving me crazy. It's taken all the control I have just to be around you. I need you, and abhor you at the same time."

My breath was coming in gasps. His voice came from everywhere, and nowhere. It was as if he was constantly in motion. I wouldn't be normal if I said I wasn't scare. The part of me that was rational needed me to run, but there was a glitch in my brain that wasn't letting the rational part through. It was actually holding it off. Leaving me planted to the spot.

"There have been times where I have almost given in," he said. "That one time at school, when you came in. It was like being hit in the head with a mallet." He walked behind me, and I whirled around, my hand on my heart.

"That's why you acted that way," I said in a whisper.

"I wasn't expecting you," he told me. "It was as if I was being punished for something. In that singular moment… I hated you."

The look in his eyes that day, his nostrils flaring, and the way he stared, it all made sense now.

"I spoke to my siblings about it," he told me. "Emmett seemed to be the only one to understand what I was going through." He clenched his fist, and pursed his lips at the memory.

"It doesn't look like it went all that well with Emmett," I said. My body was vibrating slightly. My brain was probably registering the "fleeing" instinct now.

"I will never hurt you, Bella," he said.

And despite all that he said about wanting to kill me, and plotting my murder in his head. I trusted him completely. I knew deep in my heart that he wouldn't hurt me. His strength and self-control emanated from him. That's when I notice just how strong Edward really was, not physically, but deep inside. His inner strength was admirable.

He gave a dry chuckle, moving closer to me. "It's so funny," he said staring vacantly over my shoulder. "I thought I had gotten away from you, and then there you were, standing in the door of that tiny office, your scent wafting in with the breeze. I went through every curse word in the English language and some in French, Austrian, Chinese, and Russian too."

_I knew I should have left without handing in that stupid slip_, I thought to myself. "I had to return my attendance slip," I said apologetic.

"I know," he told me. "I hid on the building, and watched you get in your car. In my mind I reasoned that if you were put before me twice, then you were meant to die."

"What happened, then?" I asked. _Why in gods name am I questioning the reason why he left me alive! _I must have gone crazy.

"I saw you crawl on your seat, and start to cry," he said. The little mental breakdown was pretty horrific. My face grew hot as I thought about it. "But then you righted yourself, and you wiped your tears off. The look of determination on your face was unbelievable. That was the reason you are alive right now. If you could do that, then I could too. I was determined to keep you alive, and so I left."

"Where did you go," I asked. My legs were failing now, after standing for so long. He sat down on the grass again, and I mirrored him but still kept my distance a little. I'm sure he thought it was because I was scared of him, but the truth was that I didn't want to make _him_ uncomfortable.

"To Alaska, we have _friends _there that share… our _beliefs._"

I may be digging myself a hole here, but the curiosity was overwhelming my survival instinct. "What made you come back?"

"Anger," he told me. "I was angry at myself for being so damn weak. For letting you destroy me. Take away my home, and part me from my family."

"I'm sorry," I said, despite the fact that I had nothing to apologize for. It was stupid of me to say that, it wasn't like I chose to smell good for him, weird as that sounds.

"You've nothing to apologize for," he said. "It made me start thinking. What if instead of a punishment I thought of you as a test. It would take everything I had in me to not kill you, but it would make me stronger. I figured that you couldn't take me by surprise again because I knew now that your smell was stronger."

"The day you came back I swear I almost didn't go to class," I told him honestly.

"I know," he said with a smile. "You were green." He crossed his arms across his chest. "I thought you were going to have a heart attack right in the middle of the cafeteria."

"Ha, funny!" I said sarcastically.

"I can't lie and say I wasn't nervous too," he told me. "I almost chickened out. I thought it was a fluke that I couldn't read your thoughts that first day at school. But I quickly discovered that it wasn't. I couldn't read your thoughts, period and that made me uneasy. I had to get my information the old fashion way, I asked. It was intriguing to see if after sometime I could break down your barrier, but I wasn't able too, and then I just used you to clear the voices in my head."

Great, I was a human thought shield. That definitely makes a girl feel sexy.

"If it's any consolation, I tried to convince you to leave Forks and go back to California.

I remembered the hint of desperation in his velvety voice that first time we talked.

"But you were interesting, and easy to talk to. I like the way you seemed to have your heart on your sleeve, anyone with a pair of eyeballs could see right through you, but that only made you more interesting still, because I couldn't see the reason behind your decisions. I wanted to know more about you. You captivated me."

I blushed again. The whole time he talked the sun shown brightly on his pale skin, making it glimmer.

"Is it sad that I was excited to go back to school just so I would see you, and talk to you again." He laughed. My lips pressed together trying to suppress a laugh too. It had been the same way I felt. His eyes grew hard as he continued though. "Then there was that accident."

Thanks to Edward I wasn't crushed to death by Tyler's blue van. I felt the goose bumps on my skin as I remembered the squealing of the tires, the trajectory of that massive vehicle, heading straight towards me. Then I remember the look on Edwards face, he was horrified.

"All I kept thinking was there must be a way to save her," he said softly, almost as if he were speaking to himself. He huffed and smiled up at me. "My family was furious. Afterwards I was shocked at what I'd done, I couldn't believe I had betrayed them, and our secret."

"That's why you got so mad when I asked you about it at the hospital," I breathed in understanding.

"I didn't know you," he told me. "I had no idea how you would react. It could have gone any number of ways. But again you surprise me. You pointedly said you weren't a gossip, that you wouldn't tell anyone."

"The secret wasn't mine to tell," I told him.

He looked at me, his gold eyes as shimmery as his face. "I must admit, had I been in your shoes… I don't know if I could have kept the secret. My siblings' thought we should take care of you…" he shrugged. "Sorry," he said as I shivered. "But I wasn't going to let them hurt you. I almost killed Rosalie," he confessed. "I had blind faith in you."

I could only imagine what had gone through his family's heads when Edward refused to kill me. My body grew cold just knowing that I was one decision away from death. I wondered what was going through his mind now. Why did he continue to hurt himself like this?

"I don't understand why you keep hurting yourself?" The question was mostly out of curiosity, I need to understand why he didn't just end my life and end his suffering as well. It was a stupid way of stating the question, almost as if I was asking "why don't you kill me already?" But there must have been a reason, and I was curious enough to want to know what it was.

"Why would you ask me that?" he asked me. There was hurt in his voice. "You life is worth so much, Bella." He hung his head, and he scrunched his eyes as if he had a horrible headache. "Life is a beautiful thing. I've been around so much death. I wouldn't be the reason for your smiles to fade, the sparkle in your eyes to die out, it would eat me alive inside. I would never forgive myself."

He was trying to say something significant but he seemed to be holding back.

"You already know I'm yours," I said looking directly into his eyes. "I love you." For the second time today I was laying my heart open. Girding myself for the impending rejection that was forthcoming.

"Yes," he said. "And I told you-"

"I don't care what you say," I told him, interrupting his words. He didn't understand me, or my feelings.

He stared at me fixedly. His eyes seemed to dissect me, inspect deep with me, trying to detect something. I turned away, sick of feeling like I was under a microscope. I felt as he came to me. He placed his hand on the side of my face and turned it towards his. I caught the full impact of his features, and it made my heart want to break. His eyes looked sad, but resigned. His mouth turned up in a small smile.

"And so the lion and the lamb fell in love," he said.

Despite the fact that he still referred to me as food, I couldn't help but smile. In his way he was telling me he love me too.

"That's one stupid lamb," I told him, going along.

"Talk about a sick, masochistic lion," he said, and that's when his smile died on his face, and mine died there too, because no matter how much we joked it would always be the same. He would crave me, and not in good way. I would always cause him pain.

Without thinking I reached out and ran my hands over the planes of his chest. His body was muscular, and defined without being overly obvious. I was marveling in the feel of my hands on him, when I looked at his face. It was frozen, his eyes glazed over as if he was looking somewhere else. I jolted my hand back, but he caught it in his, and brought it back to his chest, over his heart. "No, it's okay," he gasped. "I've had time to get used to this."

This would be how our relationship would have to be, I thought miserably. And I would have to get used to it.

"I'm sorry," I told him. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just stay still," he said holding my hand over his heart.

I did what he wanted me too. My own heart throbbed in my ears, and the silence engulfed us. The only sound came from the swaying of the leaves in the trees.

He slowly lifted my hand over to his nose, and smelled my wrist, then skimmed his nose up my arm and inched closer to me. When he reached my neck, he buried his cool face into it, and a sigh of pleasure escaped his lips. We stood like that for a minute. I wanted to hold him to me, but remained completely still, per his instructions. Then he did something I hadn't expected, he ran his nose up my neck and along his chin, and skimmed his lips over my own. He captured my lower lip with his own and I felt my eyes grow wide before they fluttered close. He ran his hand through my hair, tangling his fingers into the strands, and pulled me closer. I was more than happy to accommodate myself for this purpose.

His soft lips coaxed mine and I found it impossible to remain still any longer. My arms wrapped themselves around his shoulders, and my hands found themselves snaking their way up his neck and into his hair. I had completely lost all control of my body. I heard a groan but whether it was from him or me I wasn't sure. Probably a combination of us both, one loud sound shared between us. I leaned into his body, and crawled over to straddle him. He continued to kiss me, but something had change. The sweetness that he had begun with at the beginning of the kiss had slowly transformed into to something darker.

I was skirting the lines between good and bad, and I knew this, but I just couldn't stop.

He turned us around somehow and I found myself on my back, with him over me. His lips were insistent but he never deepened the kiss. I needed to feel more of him, to taste more than his lips. He was driving me crazy with want.

His hands circled my waist as he leaned into me, giving me a little more each time. Then I did something that I would probably consider stupid for the rest of my life. I poked out my tongue and ran it the length of his lip. It was as if someone had thrown a bucked of cold water on us, his hands on my waist tightened to the point I felt he would break my hipbone. His body started to tremble uncontrollably. I broke the kiss and screamed in pain, and he shot off me so fast it was as if I had been by myself the whole time.

"Edward?" I called out. I heard a loud crash and then saw a distant tree tipped down and fall to the ground with a horrible crunch sound.

He was near another tree, holding on to it with both hands. "I'm sorry!" I heard him shout.

I rushed to him, but he ran away from me. "It's okay," I said stopping. "I'm okay."

"Really?" he said. My hips felt a bit sore, and I would probably have two hand prints bruised into them but I could still walk if that's what he meant.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm perfect."

He walked towards me. "All this time of being with you, and I choose now to freak out."

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I just wasn't expecting…"

He wasn't expecting my hormones to go out of whack.

I hung back, nervous that he didn't want to me to get close. "Come here," he said gently. I walked to him, no hesitation.

He held me in his arms. "It won't be like that next time, I promise." I nodded but felt gloomy. Despite the little slip up at the end, I didn't want it to be any different. I put my cheek against his chest, and closed my eyes. I heard a soft, thud, thud. Slow but present. "Your heart beats slow."

He smiled. "Yeah, slower than a yours but it beats."

We stood like that for what felt like hours. I was hearing his heartbeat, and he was conditioning himself to my smell. I'm not sure what we looked like to an outsider, probably a normal couple holding each other. But in that instant I felt we were much more. We were two souls that had travelled a long way to get where we were now.

It had gotten late as we stood there together in that meadow. The sun was shining behind the trees, framing them in a halo of orange and purple. The wind whipped my hair back and forth and wrapped me in it's a cold embrace. I dreaded the ride back through the woods.

Edward propped me on his back again and this time I didn't stop to think, I buried my head in his shoulder and closed my eyes tight. In what felt like an even shorter time than before, Edward slowed down, and I opened my eyes to see my truck a few meters ahead.

"Can I drive?" Edward asked me as I slid off his back.

I nodded, because I didn't know if I could drive with the way I was feeling right now.

He drove slow knowing our time together was coming to an end, so unlike this morning. My ridiculously old radio didn't get reception our here, so we drove in silence. The road was empty, only darkness surrounding us. He was at ease, one hand on the steering wheel and one on the seat. This truck and him, belong. And in that minute, I wanted to feel like I belong too, with him and to him. I reached over and took his hand in mine. He looked down at our joined hands, and smile. I laced my fingers with his and kept them like that during the long drive back to Forks. We belonged.

_Please, please review, thanks. _

_Had a debate with my husband about whether I should make him sparkle. Sparkles won. Yes, Edward has a heartbeat, a slow one but one none the less. I don't know how well it holds up to the original, but I hope that you guys liked it and that flowed well with the previous ones._


End file.
